How to Save a Life
by AlyssaVictoria
Summary: Set after the four famous words: "Love fades. Mine has." After the recent return of her former lover, Rose had to get away. Betrayed and hurt, she set off to a new position in Russia. Only to find out that after 3 years, she would have to return to the ones that hurt her. Although 3 years is a lot of time for things to change. Little does she know about everything going on in Court
1. Prologue

Prologue

I don't think I could see anyone at this moment. Even if the conversation between Dimitri and I was private. I feel exposed… vulnerable. Anyone who would see me would be convinced that Liss was dead. And that's exactly how I felt. Dead.

 _I can't have people loving me. I'm incapable of loving anyone in return._ I don't believe him. Not one bit. There's no way in hell that his feelings for me has suddenly turned off. Love can't be turned off. I've been through hell in the past year, yet my love for him seems to grow every single day.

 _I've given up on you. Love fades. Mine has._ It's impossible. I... I... I just don't believe him! I did not just go through these past few months just for him to tell me to get going. It doesn't work that way. Our past is too strong to forget.

The night in the cabin was ultimately the best night of my entire life. He was my first everything. The moment I saw him that night they found Liss and I was the end. In the back of my head I already knew I was in for a new adventure.

Our first kiss, granted we were under a spell, but it's still a memory I don't want to forget. Every moment we spent together is stuck in my memories, all the way up to today. When he said that he no longer loves me.

I can't let go. I don't think I can see him every day knowing that he's giving up so easily. He's a quitter.

He's _weak._

I'm leaving, I can't be here. I'm not going to sit around and watch him look at Liss like he used to look at me. It's just too much to handle. She's his savior and I'm nothing. A page in a book that he no longer wants to re-read. I'm nothing but a past issue. All the trouble of sneaking around wasn't worth it anymore. He doesn't see a future for us.

 _I don't want you here._ And here is no longer my home. Where is home? I never had a home, if I was with Liss, I was okay. Where would I go? I have no place to go.

Could I leave? Am I strong enough to walk away from Liss? From _him_? I would be leaving her without a guardian, if I even ended up being her guardian. Who knows, I could be on desk duty for the rest of my life.

The real question is, am I running away out of the vampire community. Or will I continue my work someplace else. I can always ask for a charge far away. If Hans lets me.

You know what. Who the hell cares. He certainly doesn't. I think my time at Court is over. My life with Liss, Christian, Eddie, Mia, Adrian, and Dimitri is over. I need to leave before I can't my mind, before I let anyone change my mind.

No one can know. I'll just disappear into the night. Like I never existed.

The walk to Hans' office felt like a lifetime. The night air caused the hair on my body to rise from the cold. There wasn't anyone out, majority of the Moroi were in church along with some guardians. The only people around were a couple of guardians changing shifts.

My thoughts were all over the place before I realized Adrian was standing right in front of me. His soft hands were on my shoulders, positioning me so I wouldn't walk into him. Adrian pulled me into a hug, wrapping his arms around my waist. I wanted to respond to his hug, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not when I know I'll be leaving within the night.

Adrian finally pulled away from me, his hand still resting on my lower back. His green eyes peered deep into my eyes, as if he already knew what was going on. My poor Adrian. I never gave him the chance he deserved. I don't think I could ever give him what he wanted. I was to engrossed in Dimitri to see what was right in front of me… literally.

"Little Dhampir. Are you okay?" His dark eyebrows scrunched down into a frown, concerned he leads me to a bench off to the side. We sit side by side, shoulders slightly touching.

Adrian's touch always gave me butterflies, but his touch never gave me the spark I desperately desire. _His spark._

"Yeah… Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just going to find Liss. I need to talk to her about something." The lie spilled out with ease. Almost as if I had no remorse… almost.

His eyes closed and a soft sigh came from his throat. "Rose… If this is about Dimitri-" I cut him off before he could even jump to talking about _him._

"No! Adrian. I just… need to speak to Liss. Don't worry." Adrian's brown hair blew in the breeze as he was studying me. Oh, how much I'm going to miss him.

"All I do is worry about you Rose." The edges of my mouth curl up into a small smile. I feel as if he cares too much. If I stayed I don't think I could have the heart to hurt him. In the end, things wouldn't work out and it would hurt more if I waited.

"You don't need to worry. I promise. I'm **fine**." Slightly rising my voice to emphasize that I'm okay, even if I'm not. At this point I stopped looking him in the eyes. I can't handle telling him anymore lies. They just continue to build up in this short conversation.

I always told myself I could be honest with Adrian, but looking back at it. I've always had to tell him some sort of lie. Even when we first met. He always secretly knew Dimitri and I were in love and I always denied it.

I lied to him when I said I would give him a chance. I tried, I really did. He just isn't what I want. What I want doesn't love or want me and I must live with that.

"Anyways, I need to go. I'll see you soon alright?" With hopefulness in my voice. If I tell myself I'll come back one day, then it might happen. Once I've moved on.

"Alright Little Dhampir." He said with a small smile. I cover his hand with my own, a soft touch that I'm going to miss feeling. We stood up at the same time, turning towards each other. I leaned in to give him one last kiss on the cheek. A small gesture, but with so much meaning behind it.

Walking away from Adrian had to been one of the hardest things I've ever done. I know once he figures out I'm gone; he's going to replay that conversation and imagine what he could've said to make me stay.

To be honest, nothing anyone says will make me stay. _He_ told me to stay away. And stay away is what I'll do.

With nothing else stopping me, I finally reached the guardian admin building. With all my manual labor, I know this building better than anyone.

Walking straight to Hans' office, his door is slightly ajar. Being the person I am, I pushed his door open with no warning.

Hans stood at the window, speaking on the phone. He turns towards me with a scowl on his face. Beside the window is a large old fashioned book case with tons of files on each of the eight shelves. In the middle of the room sat a large brown desk, a file sits in the middle sprawled out all over the desk.

His office is relatively small, "perks" of being a guardian.

"Alberta I'm going to have to talk to you later." A low voice came through the phone before Hans slams the phone back onto his desk.

"What do you want Hathaway?" He says, his voice deep with anger. "What could be so important to interrupt my call."

It takes me a moment to compose myself. Is this what I want? Hans continued to glare at me, impatiently.

"I know I won't be Liss' guardian and before you think I'm going to argue with you on this, I'd like to ask you for a charge outside the country." He looked shocked. I, Rosemarie Hathaway, caught the famous Hans Croft by surprise. In all his work in his field, I don't think he ever saw this coming.

The famous guardian mask we all possess pops back onto his face. That one exposed emotion reminds me that we aren't all careless. It's just how unfortunate we are. Dhampir's don't have the time to care, we must be strong for our charges. And right now, I care too much.

"Is this some kind of trick?" His voice is back to a hard, strong sound. He effortlessly walks over to his desk, opening the laptop sitting off to the side. He types something into the computer, out of my eye sight.

"No. I need to get away. Far, far away." I say, my voice slowly tuning out." He gives me one last glance before returning to the task at hand.

"Alright, well do you have an idea of where you would like to go?" I think long and hard about this. I knew there were many academies out in Russia, but do I want to go back to his home country?

"Russia." I say, finally making my decision. What would be the chances I would go to a city anywhere near his family.

"Alright Hathaway, there is an academy east of Moscow. It's off the map, just like St. Vladimir's. You will be stationed there, guarding Danielle Szelsky. You're lucky that I'm giving you a royal to look out for. I have all the faith in you. You will be required to mentor a student as well as work extra hours during the day time. There is a shortage of guardians out in Russia which means there won't be any time for fun and games."

I'm blessed. All that time for working leaves no time for my thoughts. My mind will be consumed with Danielle and my student. I don't think it could get any better than that.

From what I remember, Moscow is far away from Novosibirsk. Even further from Baia, Dimitri's hometown. Which means I won't be running into any Belikovs anytime soon.

I look down to my lap, hesitating to give an answer to Hans. My hands are fidgeting in my lap, showing how doubtful I am. My fingers continue to glide over each other as I think the plan over again.

Lissa will be left with some guardian she probably doesn't know. The best I can hope for is Serena recovering and taking my place.

My relationship with Liss will probably take a strain on it once the news of my departure spreads. She'll no doubt be angry and I'll be able to feel it. The moment I step off these grounds I'm going to have to shut her out. Leave her feelings and experiences to herself.

I've come so far with my shadow kissed abilities that I think I'll be up for the challenge. Emotionally, it'll be hard. Staying away from Liss and her mind, but it's for the best. I don't think I would last long seeing him through her eyes.

Plus, what would be the point of leaving Court if I am still experiencing everything through her. Our past cannot be forgotten and I hope she remembers that when it's time for me to come back.

A loud cough drags me out of my thoughts. I look up at Hans and see him staring at me, impatiently. He's waiting for my answer, I realize. Looking out the window I see a young Moroi with her parents, their guardian walking slightly behind.

Their lives are so simple. They go to school, not having to worry about giving their life to someone else. They're so oblivious to the guardian behind them. All the things he had to give up so he could keep them alive.

A soft sigh escapes my throat before I look back toward Hans. My decision has been made. I'm leaving. I don't know for how long, but I need to go. I have had so many arguments in my head, debating if this was the right decision. And it is.

"I accept your offer.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

3 years later

A very obnoxious loud thud woke me up this morning… or night, whatever. I can't think straight when I'm woken up at the early hours of the night. The thuds continued from my door with light shuffling of feet.

Groaning, I pulled my pillow over my head, drowning out the noise. But of course, whoever was at my door started pounding louder.

"Do people understand what time it is!?" I scream into my sheets. Lifting my head, I turn towards the black clock on my night stand. Bright red numbers read 4:09pm.

"Who in the hell is waking me up at 4 in the morning!" I yelled towards the door. The knocking stopped, almost as if they felt my anger through the door.

"Guardian Hathaway?" A male voice comes from the other side of the door. There was a light shake to the man's voice. Moroi, I think. I pull my comforter off my body. The cold air rushes in, making my body lightly shiver.

I force the door open and find myself staring into dark brown eyes. He's a tiny Moroi. Very scrawny. He's wearing the mandatory janitors outfit.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but we… we… we…-" I groan at his shakiness and stomp on the floor.

"Would you please get on with it!" I hate being so rude, but I literally just went to bed an hour ago. With guardian numbers continuing to decline, we're forced to take longer shifts. And of course, my shift would be the night before trials and graduation.

"I'm sorry. We found Lady Danielle with another male in the common rooms." Sighing, I nod my head turning back into my room. I swear that girl is going to drive me insane.

"Alright I'm be down right now." I pulled on some track pants along with a long sleeve before heading out. Danielle is always getting in trouble now. At first it was just little things: skipping a class or two, not doing her work, or being rude to teachers. Now I don't know what to say. As the year got closer to graduation, Danielle began to be more reckless: starting fights, sneaking out past curfew, and she even skipped all her classes for a week straight.

Come to think of it, she reminded me a lot of my teenage self. God that was so long ago. I feel like I'm not the person I used to be. I'm obedient, I stick to the shadows, and I only speak when spoken to. Not the same Rose Hathaway that left three years ago.

At first it was hard to be away from Liss. I tried to ignore her emotions as best as I could, but her anger was radiating off her like a forest fire. She would scream at me through her head, hoping I was listening in.

It got easier when she learned how to shut me out. There was a point during those first three months that she wanted nothing to do with me. It hurt, a lot. So, she shut me out completely. I haven't been in her head since.

Thankfully I had Danielle to feel the empty void. She hated me at first and kept trying to push me away. I'd like to think that over the years things had changed between us. She started to open up to me, as well as entrusting her life in my hands.

Sure, she would get angry at me occasionally, but overall we had a mutual respecting relationship. She had even admitted that she looked up to me. She'd deny it if it ever came up in a conversation, but it's still something.

It wasn't until a month ago when she decided to confide in me why she was acting up more than usual. As a royal there are so many expectations, expectations that she doesn't think she can meet.

She supposed to sit up straight, smile at everyone, be polite, and not to speak unless spoken to. All the typical royal expectations. Danielle is the complete opposite. She wants to have fun, fall in love, and speak her voice. All which aren't royal material.

I pity the girl. She hates going home and putting on a show. I guess that's how she relates to me in a way. She knows how often I'm putting on my guardian mask. The only time I'm ever true to myself is when I'm with James. He makes me feel like the old me again, unfortunately I can't always act that way.

Walking past the windows to the common room, I can see Danielle sitting on the couch with a young Moroi boy. Even from outside I can see the bite marks on her neck. This isn't unusual for Danielle, she pulled the same crap back at St. Vladimir. Although, that was the last time. Which was her first year, almost 4 years ago.

The warm air in the room instantly warmed my body up the moment I stepped into the building. Headmistress Wright stood in front of the young couple. The boy I identified as Charles Finnley. A regular Moroi, I believe his parents stay outside of the vampire community, living with humans. It wasn't until last year when Charles convinced them to let him attend St. Clare's.

Looking closer at Danielle's neck, I could still see blood running down. It should close within the hour though, so she won't have the mark during graduation. Her jet-black hair is slightly messed up and her hazel eyes with a tint of green is looking towards my direction.

"Danielle do you understand who you are?" Wright's voice is very soft and calming, usually. When she has her teaching voice on, it comes off very harsh.

"You don't need to remind me." Danielle mutters looking down towards her lap. Wright straightens up upon noticing my entrance. I give her a slight nod and go to my position behind her. I may not agree with the royal standards, but I do have to back Wright up when it comes to discipline.

"Danielle. You're graduating tomorrow! You can't be doing these things that can prevent you from walking!" Wright's voice echoed throughout the halls. I hope she didn't wake any students up.

"You know what they say right? Go out with a bang!" Danielle commented feeling more confident than earlier. There was an obvious smirk on her face, which infuriated Wright even more.

"Danielle! You are not a blood whore! You're a royal! Act like it!" Wright's voice suddenly raised unexpectedly. I realized now that I should probably intervene.

"I think Danielle understands what you're saying. Danielle promises to stay under the radar, at least until we're in the air. Right Danielle?" I said looking at her. I gave her the _don't argue_ look. Ultimately, I don't think Danielle would start anything else. She understands when she's in the wrong.

Before taking my post 3 years ago, my mother briefed me about the Szelsky child. She claims that from the beginning, Danielle has been a loose cannon. It takes a lot to settle this girl down, but it's what I signed up for. I'm only here to protect the her at all costs.

"Right." She mutters under her breath. I hate doing this to her, but she knows I'm just trying to keep her out of trouble. At least she knows I won't report any of this back to her family.

"Then it's settled. I think these two can go back to their rooms." I say, nodding at Wright. I'm assuming Wright is just as tired as I am, which means she isn't up for any more arguments.

"Yes. Get to your rooms." Wright's voice toned down a bit before leaving the common room. The boy gets up to leave, but not before kissing Danielle hard on the lips.

"Did you not just hear what she said? Get out!" I screamed at the boy. He looked terrified. His face was burning red. Trembling, he walked out the door in a rush. Danielle gives me glare before turning towards the dorm hall.

"I'll take you to your room." I say to Danielle, leaving no room for objection. Danielle's room is on the 3rd floor, where most the royals stay. For safety reasons, of course. Guardian knowledge believe it will take Strigoi some time to get to the 3rd floor, giving guardians enough time to regroup and make it to protect the royal. Almost like they don't think the remaining floors don't matter.

Walking into her room, I realized it looks the same as it did two weeks ago. Doesn't sound like a problem, right? Wrong. Her room is supposed to be fully packed and ready to go for the flight the day after graduation. Which is technically tomorrow.

"Why aren't you packed?" I asked confused. Danielle falls back onto her bed, looking through her cell phone.

"I don't want to leave." She says with a laugh. Shaking my head, I grab her suitcases from the closet and throw them on the floor.

"You're leaving whether you like it or not. You can leave the academy with all your things or you can just leave them here. Your choice. I'm going to leave now; I expect you to be ready for your graduation ceremony when I get back." Looking towards her clock, it is now 4:30pm. I have 30 minutes before I'm supposed to meet my student for training.

"Whatever" Danielle says waving me off. I already know she's not going to listen to me and go out to hang out with friends. So instead, I'll just lock her in her room. There's no way she's like me and will jump out the window. If she can even fit through the window.

Moroi are sensitive to light, so the windows in the dorm are quite tiny. Enough to give light during the "night" to see if they were to get up.

Laughing at myself, I excuse myself out of the room. Once the door is shut, I pull out the dorm key and look her inside. A soft what the hell is said on the other side of the door.

Danielle tries to pull open the door, screaming at me. "ROSE! YOU BETTER OPEN THIS DOOR!" Laughing, I walk down the hallway. Even as I'm walking down the stairs, I could hear her screams.

Before heading out of the building I warn the head maid that Danielle is not to be let out. I wouldn't want someone accidently letting her go.

I should probably take my time heading to the gym. Considering I still have 30 minutes or so till Anneliese shows up.

Anneliese is the opposite of who I was at her age. She is caring, obedient, and a perfectionist. We do have some similar traits: she's strong, determined, and slightly compulsive. We're trying to overcome how compulsive she is. I'm worried that it might get her killed one day.

This will be Anneliese's first time in Court. Danielle is expected to go back home and to her duties. Of course, I must go with her. Anneliese's mother died while giving birth to her younger brother. She stayed with her uncle up until his death, protecting his charge from Strigoi.

I'm all Anneliese has so I'm taking her with me to Court. She could learn a lot from the older guardians there. Along with Anneliese, James and his charge Max will be joining us.

James is the only reason why I haven't asked for a new charge. He believes I am ready and should confront my past head on, instead of running away. Deep down, I know he's right, but there is a part of me that still loves Dimitri. Seeing him could just very well ruin the person I've become.

Our flight isn't until tomorrow, at 5pm. I'm allowing the girls to get a good night sleep before heading out. The flight is a good 16 hours. With the private plane, we will be only stopping once in France for fuel. It'll be a small private airport, just off the coast. To get to France it would take about 9 hours.

James and I decided to allow the girls and Max to take a trip around the city of Brest. It would take a good hour before going back onto the plane. I have everything planned. France is two hours behind Moscow time, which means we should get there around 1am Moscow time, but it would be 11pm France time. Enough time to explore and get food without looking suspicious.

We should get to Pennsylvania at around 7am France time, but it will be 1am in Pennsylvania. It's going to mess up our entire sleep schedule, but the girls should sleep enough on the plane to get up and around. 1am at Court is mid-day (night) which is when everyone is up and about.

Danielle's aunt, Ariana will send her guardians to the airport in Pittsburg, and drive us to Court. We should be at Court by 2am. Hopefully by then things will have cooled down.

Just thinking about all this flying time and time change has my head hurting. Unfortunately, that is who I've become. A well planned, responsible guardian. I take my job seriously now (more than before) and I make sure everything goes accordingly.

I finally reached the gym, finding Anneliese already inside. Anneliese's trial time is at 8:30, giving us enough time to train and prepare her.

"Good Morning Anne (pronounce An-né)" She looks up from her stretches and smiles. Anneliese's light brown hair is pulled into a high pony tail, ending at the nape of her neck. She already plans on cutting it shorter after she receives her promise mark.

Even though I've changed so much, one thing that hasn't changed is my hair. I've kept it long, just as _he_ wanted me to.

Anneliese has a gorgeous deep tan skin color that matches her green eyes perfectly. She is slightly shorter than I, making me a perfect opponent.

"Are you ready for trials?" I ask her sitting beside her. I don't plan on killing her with training this morning, but more of a Zen type of training. I need to mentally prepare her for what is to come.

"To be honest, I'm kind of nervous." She says with a slight stutter to her words. Unfortunately, guardians are not allowed to tell them what will go on during the trials, so I cannot fully prepare her what is to come.

"Anneliese. Just remember my trainings and you should be fine." I say, giving her my Rose, award winning smile. She takes in a large breath before letting it out.

"Alright, let's get ready."

I can honestly say the 3-hour training wasn't enough. We did our warm ups and more, but it didn't ease her nerves. Before we knew it, we were heading out to the fields.

I could tell from her walk that her nerves were getting worse. Instead of her usual gliding walk, she kept stumbling around like a fool.

"Would you quit freaking out? You're going to pass this with flying colors." I said smiling at her. This still didn't change her feelings; her body was still shaking. I hugged her from the side, positioning my hand on her waist and whispered encouraging things in her ear.

"You're going to do great. The only thing I'm concerned about is how that tattoo artist is going to mark you with all those molnija marks." Anneliese finally relaxed and smiled.

"Okay remember, make sure your eyes are always on your charge, I know that's hard to do, but make sure to check back on her often. Do not make risky decisions that might put your Moroi in danger. It's not worth it. And most of all, don't hesitate." I said remembering when _he_ said those words to me. I hoped I became the best teacher I could be, like _he_ was for me. I gave all the support and training I could for Anneliese.

Soon enough we reached the stadium. I ordered Anneliese to do her usual warm up routine, which consisted of a short jog and stretches. Just as she was finishing her warm up, a male's voice came up on the intercom.

"Anneliese Summers." Guardian Armstrong said from booth at the top of the stadium. Anneliese gave me one last look before heading towards the walkway.

"Kick ass Anneliese." I yelled to her. She smiled and ran into the stadium. I headed up to the bleachers so I could watch the trial.

At St. Clare's they had 3 stages. Two scenarios with a Moroi, the other was working together in a group. Anneliese's first stage was her leading a group of guardians into battle.

From above you could see the 'Strigoi' hiding in different spots, watching as Anneliese barks orders to the other guardians. This stage tested leadership, battle skills, and knowledge.

She led them into the "cave" and started off with 3 going in first, followed by 4, then 2. She was in the last wave. Her first encounter with a "Strigoi" was against one of the best guardians I've ever met, James Forbes. He was recently guarding the family of Max, but the parents felt that he was needed with their son, so they moved him here. Max is a senior, but no royal so he's only going to be staying in Court until the end of summer before returning back to his family in Washington.

Anneliese was expecting him to be her target, seeing as he was the best competitor. It took some time to take him down, but it was finally done after she struggled for a while. Then it was onto stage 2. Stage 2 and 3 were combined into one long scenario. They would take her to an obstacle course, which would test her quick thinking and ability to calm her Moroi, and then she would be tested to see if she would risk her own life to save her Moroi.

This was the hard part in the trials, seeing that we are not allowed to prepare our students for this. We always told them, they come first. None of the novices can watch the previous trials, so they could not be prepared to what was going to happen.

Anneliese was placed on a bridge, similar to what was used during my trail. Instead, there were only 3 "Strigoi" behind her, none in front. The drop was only 5 feet, but the novices are to pretend that the drop is 100 feet. High enough to kill them if they fell. Anneliese stationed her Moroi behind her and faced the 3 "Strigoi". She killed two of them, but this is where the time came. To test whether she would risk her life for her Moroi. The "Strigoi" leaped towards her Moroi when Anneliese was distracted. Anneliese lunged for the "Strigoi" falling off the bridge in the process. Killing her and the "Strigoi". She passed. Very few passed this part of the test, but still received points to successfully killing the "Strigoi" after.

Many of the guardians clapped for her when she finished. She got up from the ground and ran back to the entry. I met her by the walkway and hugged her in congratulations.

"Did I do good? I wasn't sure if I was supposed to kill my-" She stopped talking after I put a hand in her face.

"You did perfect."

I took Anneliese's arm and led her back to the dorms. Her breathing was still irregular. I could tell she was still trying to process the trials.

I didn't want to take her out of her zone, so the walk to the dorms remained quiet. I still had to let Danielle out of her room, so I dropped Anneliese off and went straight to the Moroi dorms.

To say Danielle was angry is an understatement. Granted, she was dressed up for graduation, but she sat on her bed with a scowl.

"Oh don't look so grim. You're graduating today!" I joke, stepping out of the doorway to allow her out of the room.

She managed to use the whole walk to the cafeteria to yell inappropriate words to me. Nothing I haven't heard before. Even though Danielle doesn't show it, she was excited to graduate. Unhappy that she must go back home, but glad that she's done with high school.

To everyone disbelief, Danielle is great at school. Even when she skipped classes, she somehow managed to stay on top. Her element was air and she was in all honor classes.

We still had a good couple of hours till graduation so I let Danielle do her own thing till we had to meet at the auditorium at 12am.

I spent my time resting for a good 2 hours before getting ready for the ceremony. I pulled my hair into a high pony tail, curling the ends. I put on a thin layer of foundation with mascara and gloss. I wore the typical guardians uniform; we weren't allowed to wear anything else.

We were all in the auditorium now. Guardians were stationed across the walls, like usual. Because St. Clare's wasn't a big school, the ceremony didn't last long. Danielle got her diploma (surprisingly), and Anneliese received her promise mark. Her score was the highest of the school. I couldn't be more proud.

I left Anneliese and Danielle to celebrate with their friends. God knows they'll need it for what's coming. The moment we get to Court, I expect Anneliese to be in full guardian mode and Danielle is expected to be in royal mode. I can't say that Danielle won't cause any problems, but I hope it won't be as bad as here at St. Clare.

By the time I got to the admin building it was already 2am, 3 hours till lights out. All the guardians met at the admin building, for a typical "it was a great year" speech from the head guardian, Aleksandr Maslov. He typically goes to Court every summer, leaving the second in charge for whoever stays at the academy during the break.

James is standing off to the side, looking at the food table. We're so alike in so many ways. James is from a Scottish decent with dirty blonde hair and brown eye. He's a light tan color that matches his hair color.

James reminds me of who I used to be: fun, determined, and protective. He brings out that side of me. I don't think I could've gotten through these three years without him.

I pulled up beside him, taking the donut from his hands. Smiling at him before taking a bite.

"Mmm. Thanks, James!" I laughed at his baffled expression, breaking the donut in half and handing him the untouched part. He grumbles some incoherent words before throwing the donut in his mouth.

"So are you ready to leave?" He asks grabbing a sweet bread from the table. I swear that boy could eat a whole thanksgiving table by himself.

"Of course! All my bags are packed; Danielle is ready to-" My sentence was cut off James coughing.

"Rose. You know that is not what I meant." He said with a frown. I knew what he meant. He was asking if I was ready to see all my old friends. Which I'm not, but I have to go.

"I'm scared James. I'm scared they'll hate me for leaving." I said truthfully. I grabbed another donut off the table to distract my thoughts.

"It doesn't matter though. I still have to go." I said brushing him off. I didn't mean to, but it still is hard to talk about my feelings.

"Rose, if they love you, they'll understand." I nodded at his words, more to try to convince myself. It didn't work.

We spent the remaining hours talking about how the plane schedule was going to work and we would do in France. The conversation eased my fears a tiny bit. I wonder if anyone even knew I was coming home. I'm sure the Szelsky's told my mom, but would she tell all my friends?

So many questions that won't be answered until we arrive at court. I hated not knowing what was to come. For the past three years, I set my own path. Always knowing what's going to happen and when.

James walked me to my room, probably making sure I wasn't going to try to run away. Oh, how much I wish I could.

Before I knew it, I was tucked in bed, impatiently waiting for the next day to come.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Good morning Miss Hathaway! I hope you brought your sass and whit this morning!" James' voice couldn't get any more annoying than this moment. I had gotten little to none sleep and James barging into my room is not helping.

I couldn't help but think about our arrival at Court. I was creating all these scenarios in my head on what could happen. There was a scenario where everyone was happy that I came home, even _him._ Then I had a scenario where Liss was angry with me. The list goes on, but they all end the same. Me, dying. I feared that if I went home, something would happen to me. I know I'm being absurd, but I just had that gut feeling.

All I know is that if James doesn't let me continue sleeping, I'll go on a killing spree. Which just might be the reason why I get killed.

"Get. Out." I grumbled into my pillow. James just laughs and pulls the sheet off the bed, taking me with it. I hit the floor with a loud thud. Pain erupted on my left waist after contacting with the floor.

"What the hell!" I said screaming at him. "Do you not understand that I need my God damn sleep!" I stood up and matched his size. Sure, he has a 7-inch advantage over me, but we both know who would win in a fight. He had the scars to prove it.

"Rose it's 4:30pm. I've let you sleep in enough. Now are you going to help me with your bags?" He said with a geeky grin. I groaned and moved back to my bed.

"Take the damn bags yourself." I said, crossing my arms and pouting like a child. James simply laughed and grabbed my bags from beside the door.

"You're lucky I feel nice today." James walked out the door with the last of my bags before shutting the door.

Maybe this is my chance to run. James will be too distracted with the luggage that he won't realize I'm gone. If I run, then I'll be free again. Only downside would be that I would have to start all over. I like the life I've created here. Am I really going to let my past ruin it?

A light knock from my door takes me out of my thoughts. I can't believe I even considered the idea of running away. Sighing, I opened the door to find Danielle outside.

"I'm ready to go. Could you help me with my bags?" Danielle looks just as trashed as I do, bags under the eyes and her hair was pulled into a messy bun.

"Yeah just give me a second to get ready." I said widening the door to let her in. I had already set out my day clothes during the night. It's not like I could sleep anyways. Finishing up with my hair I looked towards Danielle.

She looked anxious. Her leg was shaking and she started biting her nails. A bad habit that she had when she was nervous. Typically happened when her family would visit the academy. Obviously, her family was the cause of all her stress.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her, sitting beside her on the bed. She gives me a simple shrug of her shoulders before returning to her nails.

"I think if this guardian-charge arrangement is going to work, you have to tell me what is bothering you. Are you scared?" I said pulling her hand away from her mouth.

"You already know how I feel about my family. It's no secret, but Rose. I feel weird." A scowl forms on her face, but is instantly replaced with a confused look.

"Weird how?" I ask, suddenly concerned. Danielle is no spirit user, but sometimes she has these weird sensations that usually warn her about things to come. At first I thought she was just paranoid, but when bad things started happening after her episodes, I started to think. There had to be other supernatural abilities Moroi could have. Why not the ability to sense something coming?

"I'm scared. Not for my life, but for yours." She said staring deep into my eyes. Here is yet another good reason for me not to go. Although, the idea that there is trouble at Court is making my mother bear instincts go into hyper drive. If I left Danielle or Anneliese, something bad could happen to them at Court and I would never forgive myself.

"Don't worry about me Danielle. It's your life that's important." I said rubbing her back. Although it didn't sooth her anxiety, it relaxed her a tad. "Let's get going, I'm sure the others are waiting for us at the car."

Luckily the Moroi dorms are on the way to the main parking structure, so we didn't have to make any detours. By the time we made it to the car, James had already put most of the bags into the trunk.

I helped James put Danielle's bags into the trunk with the rest before jumping in the passenger seat. James was driving and Danielle sat in between Max and Anneliese in the back.

On the way to the car I had already warned Danielle to play nice, at least on the way to the airport. I don't think I could survive a 30-minute drive with all them arguing in the back.

Everyone was just as tired as I was, so the entire ride to the airport was quiet. We made it just in time for our flight. Since it was a private plane, we didn't have to go through all the safety checks. We just grabbed our bags and jumped on board.

* * *

It took me forever to fall asleep, but I finally did and boy was I grateful. I woke up full of energy and just in time to land in Brest. The weather outside was wonderful; it was warm but there was a slight breeze. Perfect weather for vampires.

Apparently, Max had stayed in Brest for some time so he knew where all the good places were. Just walking down, the center of town was absolutely breath taking. Not as breath taking as the Eiffel Tower would've been, but I'll take what I can get.

A part of the ocean ran through the city, glistening with the moon. I could see the castle and light house from afar, it was lit up like Christmas. I couldn't even imagine how this city looked during the holidays.

Two years ago, around winter, Danielle and I took a trip Italy. I was blessed that her parents let her do whatever she wanted, as long I as came with her. I want to say that that year was the pivotal peak of our relationship. It was the first time she fully opened up to me, without having to run away. I stayed up with her all day long just to hear her talk about why she never spent winter with her family.

It started when she was younger, her family always gave her what she wanted Christmas, but they were never there to see her face when she opened the present. Her family was only around when they had to present themselves to Court.

The moment Danielle could travel with a guardian alone; she took advantage of it. Never spending the holidays with her family, unless she was needed.

"I always wished for that perfect family. You know? The kind of family that you see in those stupid Lifetime movies. I always imagined if my life would be better than I been born a normal Moroi." Danielle told me Christmas Eve. The entire night she wasn't up to food tasting, or going out to explore. She just wanted to stay in the hotel room.

"I think it's nice to dream, but you need to separate dreams from reality. I know you've had it hard, but think of the influence you could have. In just a couple of years, you will be considered an adult. You will be expected to have your own family. Start that family how you always wanted. Be the change in your family." I had told her. That night she gave me a present, which I was completely shocked about. It was a crest, much like the one Liss gave me. Instead, was the Szelsky stone. Danielle had made it into a necklace, so I could wear it under my uniform. To this day, I never take it off.

Sure, Danielle has her issues, but she's my charge. I couldn't have asked for a better Moroi to watch over.

Getting back to the present, Max led us to a small French restaurant. There were maybe around 6 people sitting around, half were human. Apparently, this was a very popular Moroi restaurant at night. They served blood for the Moroi under the code name _Bloody M_ _àiri._ Which was Bloody Mary in Scottish Gaelic. Almost no one spoke Gaelic anymore, which seemed like the perfect language to use as a code word. Typically, in the U.S. we would use Russian words. But the language is quite known in France, which would reveal the world what we were.

Max and Danielle ordered their blood, while the rest of us ordered sodas. Unfortunately, I was on the job so that meant no alcohol for me. Such a pity. Alcohol always makes me feel better.

Danielle and I were too anxious to eat, but that didn't stop James from ordering a huge plate. The poor chef had to make a new plate for him. A plate that very well deserved to be on the reality show _Man VS Food_. James ordered a steak, a rich beef bouillon, pot roast, with a black olive tapenade as an appetizer. Of course, he had to order dessert: 5 macaroons, a Tarte Tatin, and a crêpe. I swear he eats more than two of me combined.

Soon enough, we were called to get back to the plane. I'm dreading the moment we step on that plane. Only because I didn't want to face the fact that when we land, we'll be only 10 minutes away from Court.

I haven't mentally prepared myself for our arrival. I think Danielle realized this too because by the time we made it to the plane, she tried running.

Girl has guts. She actually thought she could outrun three guardians. James was the one who ran after her, I didn't have the strength to chase her. She didn't make it far. She couldn't even reach the gates before James caught her.

Danielle continued to kick and scream as James was dragging her onto the plane. Max and Anneliese stood beside me, laughing their asses off. I hid a small smile as I watched James pull in into the plane.

"Alright, shows over. Get on." I said to them. They continued to laugh and joke about Danielle. I watched as they walked up the platform, side by side. Smiling at each other, stealing looks from the corner of their eyes. The usual.

Max and Anneliese returned to their seats beside each other, with James and I across the aisle. Anneliese took the lone seating behind us. I would have joined her, but I think she needed the next few hours to process everything.

The flight seemed to go on forever. Everyone fell asleep, leaving me to drown in my thoughts. I hated being in quiet rooms; they make me over think things sometimes. It sucks.

Not only was I replaying the scenarios in my head I created earlier, but also I was revisiting memories. Memories that were all about _him_. I don't want to relive the past, but I just couldn't help it. He was a huge part of my life, no matter how badly I want to erase it.

I left without a word. I most likely pissed at least one person off. I even wondered if they figured out where I left to and if they tried to contact me. Or if they even cared I left to begin with. Maybe no one even noticed I was gone.

* * *

My body jolted forward. The plane was now grounded and I was home. The bumpy landing woke all my friends. James was prepared to help Max with his belongings. Anneliese was pulling out her bags from over her head and Danielle was still snoring louder than ever. I grabbed a magazine and threw it at her face.

"Get up, we're here." I said, ignoring her moans.

"You are literally the worst guardian. EVER." I just laughed at that. What would this girl do without me? I have no idea. Probably kidnapped or dead. I grabbed my own bags, along with Danielle's, and walked off the plane. It was warm out; the moon was full, lighting up the private airport as much as it can.

Three guardians waited for us at the bottom of the platform, with a dark van parked behind them. They looked rather imitating. All which had dark brown hair, but had their own unique look.

"Good evening, we are here to escort Lady Danielle and friends to Court." They politely opened the van doors for us to get in. We all sat in the van as they gathered our bags in a small car behind us.

"Are we not important enough to be acknowledged? We're just Lady Danielle's friends." Anne's voice was rather hard and rude. If I don't say something to her now, she might just make a fool of herself and say something to the three men.

"Anneliese. You need to understand where we are now. Their main priority is Danielle. They do not care about you, James or me. Think before you speak." I had to speak to her in a stern voice, otherwise the message would not get across her brain.

A growl came out of her mouth before she slouched back into her seat. Three years ago, I would've been right beside Anneliese, arguing that we were somebody. Now, not so much. St Clare's branded the guardian motto in my head. It was always there, but now it was my number one priority. _They come first._

Soon enough we're on the road, heading towards Court. My mind is completely blank. It's like I completely checked out from the world. I wasn't thinking about Liss or Dimitri. I just stared out the window, preparing for the worst.

Okay, maybe I was exaggerating a bit. Sure, things will be hard, but as long as I stay true to my motto, I'll be fine.

I tried getting into Lissa's head, the first in three years. True to her word, she still has me blocked out. I wonder what she's doing at this exact moment. Is she with Christian? Or Dimitri? Does she miss me? I doubt it. Lord knows how mad she was the first time I left when I set out to hunt Dimitri. I can't imagine how mad she is now.

We finally made it to the Court main gates, passing through without a problem. The closer we got to royal housing, the more anxious I got. I started flicking at my fingernails and shaking my leg.

James saw me in distress and grabbed my hand. I gave him a slight smile before turning my head back out the window. I watched as the houses went from small then large once we got towards the center of Court.

Royals were kept in the Center, for safety reasons. Moroi walked around, talking. Or rather probably gossiping. It's what they do best here. I recognized a few faces, none were which the faces I wanted to see most.

The guardian driving pulled up to the Szelsky house. James, Max, and Anneliese would have to walk to the guest housing from here. I'm more than likely going to have to help Danielle get settled in.

We all jumped out of the car, staring at the house in awe. It was two stories tall, there was a wraparound porch with rocking chairs (reminds me of an old fashioned human home), and a huge yard. There was a small garden to the left of us, with all kinds of different plants. The house was a nice nude color, with white roofing. A small balcony hung from the middle of the second story. A man stood on it, staring at us from above.

"Welcome home dear." A voice said from in front of us. Ariana Szelsky had appeared out of nowhere. From what I remember, Ariana was a very well respected royal. I only spoke to her once when I used to attend royal parties with Liss and her family. Lissa's parents introduced us and Ariana took a great interest in Lissa and I's relationship.

Ariana was always a strong royal, never seemed to need the three to five guards most royals demanded. From what I could tell, she never saw the point of forcing Dhampir's to work as guards.

"Ariana…." Danielle said a little bored. "I'm going inside now, I'm exhausted and I just want to sleep." Ariana smiled and made a gesture for Danielle to enter the home.

Ariana's guardians walked back to the small car from before and started to unload the luggage.

"And she hates coming home… why?" Max whispered to Anneliese, obviously still taking in the home. I shushed him and helped the guardians with the bags.

Dan and Max left with Anneliese to guest housing by the time I finished grabbing Danielle's luggage. I should have left with them and let Ariana's guards finish up, but who knows what Danielle could get herself into. I felt like she could never leave my sight without me anxiety. I care too much for the girl. I really do. She reminds me of me when I was younger, reckless and uncontrollable. I just wish she could see that none of that matters later in life. You just won't know where you'll end up. Just look at me. I'm far away from the dreams I had in high school.

"How was your flight dear?" I heard Ariana ask once we were all inside. Danielle just shrugged, no answer and just continued to make her way up the stairs.

I never really got to see the bigger picture with this family. I knew Danielle didn't like being with them, but when they were together, it was in public. There was no actual time to see the true feelings from Danielle.

"Dani can we please stop and be a normal royal for once. Come back down and socialize!" Ariana suddenly yelled. It took everyone by surprise, even me. I never heard a royal raise her voice at another family member.

"What did I do?!" Danielle screamed back. I guess this entire bad attitude runs in the family. I would hate to meet the rest of the family. My mom never mentioned Lord Szelsky, but she didn't complain at all which I always took as a good sign. I guess I was wrong. I probably shouldn't be jumping to conclusions though. Lord Szelsky could be a good man.

"You always do this Dani; we haven't seen you for a while and you continue to shut us out. Why?" Danielle let out a loud groan.

"There was a specific reason why I moved to Russia, to get away from you people!" Danielle and I were partly alike, I realized. She moved away to get away from her loved ones. And now that she's back, a whole shit ton of problems where arising.

Danielle ran into her room, slamming the door behind her. Ariana stared up at the stairs, not knowing how to react.

"Guardian Hathaway you are dismissed for your duties for the next couple of days. Danielle will not be leaving the house. If I need you, I'll send for you." Was all Ariana said before retreating deeper into the house. Her guardians, who I still have not identified, simply just glanced at me shortly before following her.

I didn't know what to do. We've only been at court for a short amount of time and my charge was already causing a scene. I already know this is going to reflect badly on her. People would talk about how she's irresponsible and a child.

I didn't want to go back to guest housing immediately, so I just continued walking around Court. There weren't many people around, which was surprising considering it was mid-day (aka night).

I made a quick stop at the church. I probably shouldn't have, considering all the bad memories linked to it, but I just had to. I couldn't get myself to walk inside, so I just sat on the marble steps in front of the big wooden doors.

I hate to think about how much things changed. Three years ago, I was running down these very steps, trying to get away from the man I love most. How badly I wish things could back to normal, but I know it can't. No one can change the past. Even my appearance changed. The lack of sun caused my skin to lighten up and I dyed my hair auburn. I needed to change, but I couldn't bring myself to cut my hair. One of the things Dimitri loved so much about me. It had gotten a lot longer. It was now past my waist. I put it up when I'm on duty, but other times it's just loose.

Not to mention the type of clothes I wear now. I'm all work. I wear nothing but the usual guardian attire: slacks and a button up. I would look in the mirror and see myself, but it's not really me.

"Hey, se-se-sexy layday." I heard a voice slur. I looked up to a pair of green eyes. Adrian. He hasn't aged a day. He looks exactly how I left him. His brown hair was slightly messed up and he was clearly drunk. I never understood how he could be so drunk in the middle of the day.

"Wan-wan-want to co-co-come with meh to my five million dolla royal home?" He said with what I assume is an attempt of a flirty smirk. I guess Adrian just never changes. He starts stumbling towards me. I got up in attempt to help him stand, but another set of hands beat me to it.

"I'm sorry, I turned one second and he was gone! Guess no one can control this drunk bastard." A man with dark brown hair and green eyes said to me. He's a little taller than Adrian, but had a bigger structure. He was built. His arms were well toned with muscle, as well as his chest and legs. He's Dhampir, I realized. I've never seen him before.

"I hope he didn't say something stupid to you miss." He said with a Russian accent.

"Ma-ma-man I just wanna talk to dah girl!" Adrian said from the man's side. I smiled and laughed. I don't think that Adrian has yet to realize who I was. Although, the instant I laughed, Adrian shot up, wide awake. It was suddenly like he was sober and he understood who I was. He was confused. His brows scrunched up like he couldn't figure it out. I guess if I was he, I wouldn't either. You could barely recognize me, drunk or not.

"Sorry again miss." The man pulled Adrian away; it took a couple of pulls to finally get Adrian to move. He sighed and followed the man.

I don't think he realized it was me, but he's somehow trying to piece it together. I knew I had to tell him eventually, but if I did at that moment, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have let me go.

* * *

I don't remember how I made it home, but I woke up in my bed. It was an average room size, with a queen bed and a white dresser to my right. My suitcase stood against the closet. An open door was to my left, which led into a bathroom. The walls were an off-white color which helped make the room look larger than it really was.

I haven't taken a shower since I left the academy so right now seemed like a pretty good option. I got out of bed, pulled out a towel from the closet along with my black yoga pants and purple sports bra.

I was only in the shower for fifteen minutes before I finally jumped out and changed into my clothes. I wasn't sure if James was awake yet, but I knew Anneliese would be getting ready to go running. I caught her, as she was about to walk out the door.

"Were you really going to go running without me?" I asked her with a smirk. She threw her head back and laughed.

"Thought I could go easy today coach." She grinned wide, showing me her pearl white straight teeth. Her light brown hair was tied in a ponytail. Anneliese has a gorgeous face with a toned body. Her light green eyes shined bright every time I saw her.

"Yeah right. You're still a novice to me girl. Let's go." I said walking out the door. We immediately started running towards the track. I never let this girl have a break. Every morning we would run three miles, it kept her in shape and fast enough to get away. Then I would allow her to spar with me for a little over an hour before letting her go. I was never finished though. Every day I run a minimum of 10 miles, so after she would leave I would run 2 more miles, and the rest after her evening trainings. Anneliese never understood how I could run so much. I have _him_ to thank for that.

Although, since it was our first day back, I let her off easy. We ran our typical three miles and spared for an hour before I let her go.

"I'm meeting James and Max for breakfast at the café. Care to join us?" I gave her a 'are you serious look'.

"Well after you finish your two miles." She said smiling. I simply just nodded and started running again on the track.

"Sometimes you need a break Rose!" She screamed as I ran off. I almost never took breaks. I'm always on duty. If I'm not with either of the girls, I'm training. I rarely socialize, other than James. He's the only one I feel comfortable around. Well at least since I left Court. I just didn't have the strength to confine in others. I was afraid that if I let people in, I would just loose them in the end. Just like how I lost Liss. I still care for her. I wanted everything to end up good. For her to marry Christian, have kids. To live a normal life.

The same for Dimitri. I just wanted to see him happy again. Even though I may not be in the picture. It was hard most of the time. To think about if he's found love again. I wanted him to. I always just wanted him to be happy. I hate myself for that. He hurt me, and I still love him.

I made my way to the café after I finished my run. Sure enough, James, Anneliese, and Max were still there sitting in a booth. They were laughing at whatever Anneliese said. I squeezed into the booth next to James.

"Well look who decided to join us!" James exclaimed while shoving me. He had a plate of food in front of him, unfinished. I grabbed his fork and ate a piece of his eggs.

"Hey I was going to finish that." He said, frowning.

"No you weren't." He glared at me before grabbing the fork out of my hand and finished eating his eggs.

"So what's fun around here?" Max asked me. Max never visited Court before. He was quiet at the academy, well when he wasn't around us. Other than that, he's a crazy party animal. So naturally he would ask about the best places in Court.

"Yeah Rose, take us to a secret club." Anneliese said wiggling her eyebrows. They're crazy if they think I'm ever going to show them places to go in Court that could possibly get them in trouble. It's not like Anneliese would let that happen, but she could be a little reckless sometimes.

"You have to find out yourself. I will not be the reason of the destruction at Court." I said laughing with James. Max and Anneliese both crossed their arms and slid into their seats.

"I think you hurt their feelings Rose" I shrugged my shoulders and turned to look around the room. Guardians were sitting at the bar eating bagels. A group of Moroi teens were sitting across from us. Other than that, it was empty. It was calm. Just how I liked it.

Unfortunately, my peace was so lived when I realized I hadn't heard from Ariana or Danielle. For some reason, I felt like something was wrong and my mind wouldn't be at ease until I checked for myself.

"Hey I'm sorry to bail so soon, but I think I should check on Danielle. She had a rough start yesterday." The three of my friends nodded towards me, Anneliese handing me a bagel to go.

I quickly thanked her before heading out of the café. The café isn't too far from royal housing, so I made it there quickly, not to mention the fact that I was practically sprinting towards the house.

Sure enough, the scene before me was horrible. The front door was wide open and Danielle and Ariana stood outside screaming at each other. A mix of guardians/Dhampir's and Moroi stood around watching the scene. I paid little attention to them, my eyes setting on Danielle.

She was beyond angry and looked like she was going to take a hit at Ariana. I feared for Ariana. I've been in her position and I'm not going to lie, Danielle has a hard punch. I got to Danielle before she could take a swing. I grabbed her arm and pulled her against my chest.

"GET OFF OF ME! LET ME HIT HER!" She screamed at me.

"You and I both know I can't do that." I whispered in her ear. Danielle continued to scream profanity at me and struggled against my hold.

"HATHAWAY! TAKE YOUR CHARGE AWAY." I heard one of Ariana's guardians screaming at me, while the others checked Ariana for bruises or cuts.

"SHUT THE HELL UP, SHE CAN'T CONTROL ME! NO ONE CAN! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TO SAY-" Danielle started, before I slammed my hand over her mouth.

"You're making yourself look bad. Stop this now." I whispered softy and calmly in her ear. I slowly started pulling her away from the scene.

I could hear whispers coming from the crowd. _That girl needs some discipline._ _Was she raised in a barn? I wouldn't be surprised if we never heard from Lady Danielle ever again. She made a fool of herself._

I pulled Danielle further away from royal housing and stopped by a small park. In the park was a small pond, with ducks swimming in it. All types of flowers bloomed in the night's breeze. I pushed Danielle down onto a wooden bench and stood in front of her.

"Do you understand that your reputation is on the line now? That Lord Szelsky just might send you away? Maybe even farther than Russia, more secluded. So you have no one to talk to besides me? Have you ever thought about that? That he might just abandon you completely?" I said to her. I was beyond angry. First day back and Danielle has already caused trouble. Everyone was probably already talking about it. Not to mention me. I'm pretty sure my old friends already know I'm here. Or will soon. They're especially going to be angry that I haven't gone to see them yet. Or maybe they don't even want to see me.

"I know that." Danielle said looking at the ground.

"Then please tell me why you continue to do this! All this reckless behavior! It doesn't look like you've just graduated! It makes you look like a child! I know the kind of person you are Danielle and this is not who you are." I said squatting down to her level.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE!" Danielle held her head in her hands. A tear escaped her eyes and her breathing grew heavier.

"I hate this place. I want to stay away from them. They don't care about me."

"Danielle, you know that's not true." I said softly and reached for her hands. They were cold, but soft and gentle.

"Isn't it? You know how many times they called to check up on me? ZERO." I sighed and stared at the ground.

"Danielle, my mom never checked up on me when I was your age. When the princess and I returned to St Vladimir's all she did was send an email me saying how disappointed she was. She isn't exactly the best mom out there, but she still loves me." I said staring into her eyes. Danielle wiped a tear from her cheek and stood up. I stood up with her, still holding onto her hands.

"I'm sorry Rose. I'll try to act better, but I refuse to live at that house." I nodded and went in for a hug.

"You can stay with us. There's an extra room across from mine. You're welcome to it." She pulled away from me and nodded. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and headed towards guest housing.

James was in the front yard speaking to a woman with her back towards us. James nodded towards Danielle and I, and the women turned to us. She looked to be around her forties, with bags under her eyes. Her short red curls bounced around as she turned her head.

"Rose." Was all she said. Three years, and that's all she had to say to me.

"Mom." I ushered James and Danielle inside. Danielle took one last look at my mom before retreating inside with James behind her.

"The Queen would like to meet to you."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"And why exactly would she like to speak to me?" I said with a scowl on my face. Unfortunately for me, my mom was unfazed by my rudeness. You would think that she would feel something when her own daughter would be rude to her. Guess not.

She looked good though, for her age. Her wrinkles were hardly noticeable. Maybe because I've been out of her life, aka a stress-free life. Things between us have been patched up around the time I disappeared, but I still can't get back those years at the academy.

"I'm not sure Rose, just please come with me." I sighed, but finally agreed. We walked side by side, our hands brushing against each other. Not a lot of people were out tonight, I'm not sure why. From what I could remember, Court was always full of excitement and gossip. And now it seems people don't even bother getting out of their homes. It's been like that since we've gotten home yesterday.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" She said sternly. I laughed, like she probably didn't already know with her guardian connections.

"Why bother when you already work for the family. You more than likely knew the moment they make flight arrangements two weeks ago." Although her reaction was more surprising to say the least. She hesitated. Like she was scared to tell me something. She quickly attempted to cover it up, but a trained guardian wouldn't have missed it.

We spoke no further as we walked towards the Queen's chambers. There were two guards stationed at the door, I recognized them from Dimitri's guards back when he was held prisoner. We nodded at them before making our way through. The queen was sitting at a desk, speaking to a young Dhampir boy.

"I need you to use all your connections to find them. Immediately. This will not be taken lightly, do you understand?" Tatiana spoke with such elegancy, almost as she was raised to be a queen. What were there talking about? God only knows it's probably teens running away to be with each other.

"Yes your majesty." The boy stood and turned to the door. I easily recognized him from the night before. He was the Dhampir that was with Adrian. I hadn't noticed his facial features until now. He was light complexed. He had a clean-cut beard which suited him perfectly. And don't even get me started with his eyes. They were a lot brighter in the light, almost like an emerald color. They screamed, look deep into my eyes and fall for me. Okay maybe I was being a little dramatic, but hey this boy was gorgeous. Or should I say man.

"Hathaway. Welcome back." Tatiana said, drawing my eyes back to her. "Come please take a seat, we have a lot to talk about." My mom bowed before walking out and shutting the door behind her. I took a seat across from Tatiana and placed my hands in my lap.

Looking around now, I caught the eyes of my old best friend. Lissa stood off to the side, almost unnoticeable. She changed a lot. She's still beautiful, but there's something I can't put my finger on.

Her once long platinum blonde hair is now cut down to her shoulders, giving her an older look. Her jade green eyes remained the same, but her usual smile is replaced with a scowl. A glare towards me.

Why did I think I was going to be able to come home and fix things up? She obviously hated me, but why she was here though? I finally put two and two together. She wasn't here for me, the only other person that would make sense is that she's shadowing Tatiana.

Of course, Tatiana always wanted to take Liss under her wing. Me leaving gave her the perfect opportunity to snatch her up.

"Well, first and for most, how did you like Russia?" She asked smiling. This was the longest she's ever been nice to me. The only times she could be any ounce of civil to me, was when she wanted something.

"Let's just cut to the chase, shall we? We both know you aren't this nice to me unless you want something. Just tell me what you would like me to do or find out and I'll follow through with it." I said with a blank face. Tatiana smirked and nodded. What I said took no surprise to Tatiana, but I was internally surprised. It's been so long since I've been disrespectful towards anyone.

Then I realized, I was channeling someone. A specific person who stood no more that 6 feet from me. Liss, she was finally letting me back in. More than likely it was an accident, but I hope once I'm alone, I'll be able to sneak into her thoughts.

"Straight to the point, yes? I've always liked that about you. Anyways, it seems that your charge, Miss Szelsky has said some pretty positive things about you. The Szelsky's have yet to find a guardian that Danielle loves so dearly. I'm quite surprised if we're being honest.

"I'm not sure what you're trying to imply your majesty." I said respectively. I finally could control my feelings, considering Lissa was still shooting daggers towards me. Over the years I've learned to control my hatred towards others, my actions are controlled and tamed to respect anyone higher than me.

"Your charge is very… well. Reckless." Is she offending Danielle? No one should be allowed to put anyone down. Sure, Danielle could be reckless, but that is who she is. Although I still could not afford to make a rude comment, so I played it cool.

"Excuse me Miss, but where do I come into this? Tatiana laughed at this and stood to walk in front of me. Her dark grey hair was pulled into a low bun, with a few hairs pulled forward to frame her face. The crown sat on her head, which I think is only worn to intimidate people.

"Oh Rose, you were exactly the kind of person Danielle was at her age. From what I remember, you were quite the rebel." She said smiling as if she was reliving the past.

"Yes well, let's get back to the point. Shall we?" Tatiana turned back towards her throne and sat down. The throne was bigger than she was. She looked like a little elf in it.

"I have heard about all your accomplishments at St. Clare's! Also, I am aware you were part of an advance guardian team that would only be used in special cases." She wasn't wrong. James and I had been recruited into a small group of guardians that would be used in a rescue mission. The team had only been called once, after a young Moroi was kidnapped while shopping in Moscow. Our team only consisted of six guardians, the other four stayed back at the academy.

"That is correct. I was in a group with five other guardians, one which came to Court with me. James Forbes, maybe you've heard of him?" I said taking the subject off of me. Tatiana has still yet to reveal why she wanted to speak to me.

"Of course! Actually, we invited all your fellow guardians from St. Clare's to a special meeting today." A meeting? What could be so important to call guardians in?

"I actually would like you to join in this meeting. It's very important. All the important guardians will be there!" She said very excited. What could possibly be so important that she needs us all to be there.

"Of course I will be there." I said, hoping that it was the end of the conversation. I don't think I could stay here any longer. Lissa's glare had gotten a hundred times worse than when I first entered the room.

"Great! It will be in an hour, at the administration building, in the big ballroom!" She finally stood up to shake my hand goodbye. "I will see you in the meeting then. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me Guardian Hathaway." I shook her hand and slightly bowed.

"Oh! Princess Vasilisa! You are excused for the day so you can have your reunion with Guardian Hathaway!" Tatiana is grinning from ear to ear as if this was the nicest thing she's ever done.

"Oh your highness, that isn't necessary. I wish to make no reconnection with _it._ " Lissa says from behind Tatiana. I am completely confused. I knew she was angry, but to show her hatred towards me in front of Tatiana?

"Vasilisa Dragomir! Mind your manners!" Tatiana said it with a piercing voice. Lissa cowered into her little corner, but did not stop the glare she had on her face.

"No it is alright your highness. I should probably leave anyways." I said turning towards the door.

"No… Miss Hathaway. Vasilisa you must apologize!" Lissa let out a laugh towards Tatiana.

"Apologize? For what? She left me! She is a piece of work who cares about no one!"

I finally turned to acknowledge Lissa, only out of respect. "Princess." I said bowing my head in a goodbye.

I made my way out of the room, escaping the stares from Tatiana and Liss. Even as I exited the room, I would still hear Tatiana scolding her for what she said.

I can't say that Lissa's words didn't hurt. They stung so hard, I couldn't believe that it was her saying those words. In her defense, I haven't been around to take away the darkness.

At least that's what I was telling myself to feel better about her attitude.

* * *

"Well what did she want?" I heard Danielle speak from the living room, the moment I walked through the front door. I made my way to the living room, seeing Anneliese, Max, James and Danielle sitting in front of the TV. An episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians was playing. I scrunched my nose in disgust before grabbing the remote and shutting it off. Kylie had been arguing with Rob over him dating that rapper's ex-girlfriend or something.

"Hey I was watching that!" Max cried, turning to me with a scowl.

"Yeah well you need better taste in reality TV." Max crossed his arms across his chest and sank into the couch. Anneliese snickered from beside him, throwing me a thumbs up.

"We've been trying to convince him to change the channel since we got back from the café! Anneliese said with a groan.

"Well are you going to tell us?" Danielle yelled, frustrated. I laughed and flopped onto the couch beside James. He put an arm around me as I snuggled closer. James and I had a complicated relationship. I like him a lot more than just a friend, but I knew that I will never get over Dimitri. That would just be plain mean to make him try to compete with Dimitri. James knew there was someone from my past that I can't get over, so instead of trying hard to make things better between us, we kind of just comfort each other. I know deep inside, James wishes there could be more, but I just can't. If it's not Dimitri, it's no one. Even though he might not feel the same way.

Basically, all James knew was what happened when I left. I gave no names to each of my stories. I knew he put together who some people were, the obvious ones like Lissa. But I gave him no confirmation.

"Well long story short, she wanted to congratulate me on my accomplishments and invite us to a meeting." I was blunt, and I knew my bluntness would get the point across. They instantly knew there had to be something more. I just couldn't bring myself to tell them that Lissa had been there.

"Never thought the Queen would take an interest in you..." She said with a frown. I threw a pillow at her face as she laughed. "I'm just kidding! From what I remember, the Queen was always up on your ass the moment you and Vasilisa got back to the academy." I froze, not knowing what to say. Danielle had never been so upfront in front of Anneliese, Max or James.

"Vasilisa? Vasilisa Dragomir? The last royal Dragomir? You knew her!" Anneliese said with a surprise face. I simply just got up from the couch to stand in front of the four of them.

"Listen, you all know my past, and there are certain people in it that I don't like talking about. Although, now that we are here, I should probably tell you everything." I started from the beginning, giving them names to the stories that they have heard before. I started from the day Lissa and I ran away, to the day I flew to Russia.

Once I was finished, they all didn't know what to say. I purposely kept the story of Dimitri being a Strigoi back at St. Clare's, but now that we're all at Court, it was bound to come up some time. Especially since I had been there when he was changed.

"I'm so sorry Rose. Everything you've gone through was so-" There was a loud knock on the door before Anneliese could finish. I groaned in annoyance. "We've had enough visitors for today!" I screamed at the person behind the door. James sighed and moved from the couch in front of me. A male voice echoed through the house, he had a deep, hard tone.

James walked back into the living room, explaining why the man was there. He was here to escort us to the meeting, a way for Tatiana to ensure that we go to the meeting. The man emphasized that Moroi were not allowed so we left Anneliese in charge of Max and Danielle.

I knew she had been hoping she could go to the meeting with us, but I needed someone I could trust to watch over Danielle. Anneliese had been trying so hard to show that she is now a guardian, but I'm also trying my best not to put her out into the world so quickly.

She wants to be known as Guardian Summers, but she doesn't know the kind of work that guardians do. She was never blessed with having fun during her teen years. The day I met her, I knew she was all work and no play. I didn't want her growing up and wondering what if she had done if she was more like me.

I was scared that missing out on so much will ultimately make her depressed. Which is common now in young guardians. At St. Clare's we had 3 cases of suicide. All which were guardians who didn't want to be under pressure. It's not what I wanted for Anneliese. She has so many years to come to help protect the Moroi.

As we got closer to the council room, I began to sweat. I didn't know if _he_ was going to be in that room. If he was, who knows if I'm going to be able to concentrate on what's going on.

"Do you know what the meeting is about?" James asks, breaking the silence. He could sense my nerves and tried to make conversation to help ease my thoughts. I shook my head and grabbed his hand in comfort.

"No idea, but the Queen said it was very important that we attend."

We were in front of the council room now; the double black doors were open so large crowds could walk in together. Guardians all around us were mingling, trying to figure out why they were summoned.

"Hathaway. I remember you. Childish and reckless. Look at you now, I can see a bright future for you." A woman said stopping us in the doorway. I didn't recognize her; she was an older guardian with a black pixie cut hair style. She instantly realized that I had no idea who she was.

"I'm sorry! I didn't introduce myself. I'm Guardian Matthews, I was in the rescue mission to retrieve the Princess from Belikov three years ago." I simply nodded and shook her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Do you know why we are being summed?" I asked her, hoping to get some information out of her.

"Rumor is, Moroi have gone missing. We aren't one hundred percent sure, since we don't think they would keep something like that from us. Well I better get inside; it was nice seeing you." I nodded my head towards her and watched her disappear into the room.

We followed Guardian Matthews inside and sat in one of the back rows near the rest of the guardians from St Clare's. There were only five of us in total, but the three who were here stood up and formally greeted us. We sat down in our seats, I was in between James and Guardian Aleksandr Maslov. People were still filling in as we waited for Queen Tatiana to arrive.

I tried not to look around to spot familiar faces. If I saw them, they more likely saw me. So instead we sat in our little corner and I turned my face from the crowd by talking to James. But soon enough, the Queen entered the room, making everyone stand up to greet her. We sat back down as soon as she sat in her throne.

"Welcome my friends and family. I know you are all wondering why I have gathered you all here. There have been reports of Moroi family going missing, along with their guardians. We've tried to keep it from the public as long as we could, but people are starting to notice. Numbers have increased in the past week to 24 Moroi missing." I heard a few guardians take in a breath, this must be new news to all of us.

"Yes you heard me correctly. It seems that there have been multiple families in the state that have gone missing. In and out of court. We have no idea on where these families are being held or why they have been taken. All Moroi were of lower class."

"Why did they not report this to the academy?" I whispered to James. He shrugged his shoulders as Tatiana continued to speak.

"We plan to order all Moroi in the state to return to Court for their safety. With all the new guardians coming from the academies, we plan to increase the number of guardians patrolling each day and night. Which means you all will have to put in the extra time."

"Excuse me your highness." The Russian guardian stood from beside me. All the guardians in the room looked at Maslov in awe. To us, he was just the head guardian at St. Clare's, but to everyone else, he was a God. I dipped my head down low, so no one would see me.

"My name is Aleksandr Maslov, head guardian at St Clare's Academy in Russia. I was wondering if you have a plan to rescue this Moroi." He spoke with such power that made you cringe when he raised his voice. Tatiana turned to a guardian and nodded her head. The guardian walked forward to address Maslov.

"Good evening Guardian Maslov, I am Guardian Castile." Eddie? I whipped my head up and really looked at him. He looked tired and worn out. Like he hasn't slept in days. I could hardly recognize him.

"We actually do. We are planning to create a team of high powered guardians to research and find the missing Moroi." Eddie tried to look tough, but deep down I knew how frightened he was.

"Are you planning an attack?" Maslov questioned.

"We are hoping it won't come down to it, but if it does, we will attack. The battle will be led by Guardian Hans Croft," Eddie gestured to Hans who I barely noticed, "and Guardian Dimitri Belikov." I sucked in a breath the moment Dimitri walked forward. He looked good, strong. Like these past three years haven't fazed him. I hadn't noticed him before, until now. The moment he spoke, was the end for me.

"If it comes to battle, Hans and I will use the team and save the families." That sentence alone made me want to crawl into his arms. To forgive him for everything and go back to the way things were before. But I knew that wouldn't happen. He still doesn't love me, nothing in the world can make him love me again.

The guardians continued to talk about what ifs, and such, but I couldn't tear my eyes off of Dimitri. I know I should be moving on, but I just can't. I wonder if he had even thought of me in the past three years. If he felt any regret.

"Now I will be revealing the team I have made up. None of the Guardians know who this team is, besides Guardian Croft. I took into careful consideration on who should be on this team. Guardian Croft and I chose the best of the best." We all sucked in a breath to hear who would be on the team.

"Leading the team will be Guardian James Forbes from St. Clare's academy. Alongside of him, will be Guardian Rose Hathaway." Suddenly everyone turned back towards the five of us. Now everyone knew I was here.

I sucked in a breath before lifting my head in power. I will not show them weakness.

"The reason why we decided Guardian Hathaway should not lead the group is because she is guarding Princess Danielle Szelsky. We do want Rose to help with the rescue, but we don't want to take her time from the Princess." I continued to look at Dimitri from the corner of my eye, but not once did he look at me. Almost as if he was trying desperately not to.

"The remaining guardians will be Janine Hathaway, Mikhail Tanner, Eddie Castile, and Serena (Never listed her last name in the books). We know you all will make us proud. You are all dismissed." Tatiana stood from her chair walking out through the side door. Hans, Dimitri, and that man from earlier (whom I barely noticed) followed Tatiana.

We all got up from our seats, but not before one of Tatiana's guardians stopped us. "The Queen will like to meet with the team before you leave." He gestured to follow him through the exact door Tatiana just walked through.

My mom, Mikhail, Eddie and Serena were already in the room, along with Dimitri, Hans, and that man. We were seated at the end of a long table, with the Queen on the opposite side. Dimitri and Hans stood behind the Queen, and the other man sat beside her.

"I know this new job took you all by surprise, but I ensure you that you are all equipped to get the job done." I tried my best to pay attention to the Queen, but I couldn't help but steal glances at Dimitri.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and walked in Lissa and some Moroi girl. She didn't look familiar, so she was no royal. She looked maybe a year or two older than I was, with blonde hair and brown eyes. She had the typical Moroi skin color; pasty white. She stood tall, alongside of Liss. They were the exact same height.

"Ah yes, Vasilisa and Miss Olivia. Just give me a moment please. Where was I?" Lissa and the girl, Olivia, stood beside Dimitri, whispering things to him. I couldn't hear what they were saying from where I sat. Probably bad things about me, no doubt.

"You six are to report each day for at least two hours to review the evidence. I understand you all have chargers, but if you please allow them to be watched over someone during these hours. Miss Hathaway I'm sure you could leave the Princess with her fam-" I quickly interrupted her before she could even finish her sentence.

"That won't be a problem your highness. Lady Danielle will stay under the care of my student." I said with no hesitance. I know Danielle would rather die than go stay with her family for a couple hours a day.

"Are you sure this student can handle-" Again I stop her short. Which is kind of rude, but I didn't want to leave room for any question.

"Anneliese Summers is extremely acceptable to the task." Everyone shot their heads towards me. Even Dimitri took the time to look at me.

"Anneliese Summers?" The Queen repeated.

"Yes? I've been her mentor since she was a 2nd year at St. Clare's." I said with confusion.

"I was unaware that the young guardian would be joining us." My mom said from beside me.

"I am all she has, is that a problem?" I asked confused. Why did they suddenly seem so interested in Anne?

"Anneliese Summer was the young Dhampir girl who went on a raid to save a young Moroi no? The only girl in her class to get the special opportunity," Eddie said from beside me. I guess news about my student got around quickly.

"Yes, alongside James and I." Tatiana took a great interest in this. She brought her hands together, leaning forward. I took notice to Dimitri one more time. He was no longer looking at me, but towards the floor.

"Do you think your student would like to join the team?" Hans said without missing a beat. Without thinking, I shot up from my seat.

"Absolutely not. There is no way in hell am I letting my student jump into a the guardian task force so quickly."

"She is up to the task though surely! I heard she passed her trials with full points. Including when she risked her life for her 'Moroi'. She is sure to do good on this team." My mom spoke to me with authority as if she was ordering me to say yes.

"It doesn't matter how well she passed her trials. That girl has yet to stake a Strigoi. I have trained her well enough to perform the task, but I have also trained her to avoid such situations with one." Lissa laughed from behind Tatiana.

"You're crazy if you think this girl won't come face to face with a Strigoi. It's inevitable." The girl Olivia said with a smirk.

"And you're crazy if you think it's okay to send an unexperienced guardian out on a task like this. Sure, she accompanied us on the raid, but she stood beside Rose the entire time. Rose made sure Anne made none of those kills." James jumped in from my right. He knew how much I valued Anneliese's youth and he understands completely why I do the things I do.

"Alright, you know this girl better than any of us. We will not put her on the team, but if the time comes when we need to attack, she may be needed." I hesitated, if I was to be one of the leaders of this team, I could not be beside Anne, making sure she's safe. Like Olivia said, it's inevitable.

"That is fine." Tatiana nodded and continued to explain what she expected from us. I used the time to look at Dimitri again.

His hair looked the same, I fought the urge to run my hands through it. Like I used to. Although, he looked tired and worn out. Much like Eddie. He wore the typical guardian's uniform with his signature duster.

What caught me by surprise was the Dragomir crest on his wrist. A bracelet made to fit him. He was Lissa's head guardian. Obviously, they entrusted him once again to have such an important charge.

I'm glad, they got what they all deserved. They looked normal. I felt eyes on me and followed them to Lissa who stood beside Dimitri. Her usual glare slightly eased, but once she noticed I looked at her, her glare came right back up.

"Alright, that is all I needed to say. You all are dismissed." Tatiana exited through another side door, with Dimitri, Hans, Lissa, and Olivia following her. The others filed out the door, not speaking to James and I.

Well this should be fun, right? Wrong. It's only been two days and here we are, already sucked into an assignment.

Thinking about it, there was Moroi missing from inside of Court. The only way that could happen was if they were working from the inside. Someone we trusted.

It could be anyone.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As we get older, we always expect where we would be in 5-10 years. 5 years ago, I would've expected my future self to stand by Lissa as her guardian. Obviously, things don't always go as planned.

Had I stayed at Court, I would've never met James, Danielle, Max or Anneliese. Even if I wish Lissa and I were never separated, I don't think I wouldn't change what I did. I don't regret leaving, I just regret how I left without saying goodbye.

I wonder, if I had said goodbye to Liss, would she still be angry with me? Would she have tagged along? Or would she have convinced me to stay at Court? If I stayed, would Dimitri and I worked things out? So many what ifs went through my mind as we made our way to a casual restaurant for dinner.

Anneliese had called, suggesting we all go out to dinner after we left the meeting. So, here we were. James and I waiting for the table to be ready, and we stood waiting for the rest of our party.

The restaurant was nice, mainly lit up with candles. It gave it a romantic vibe. It was packed tonight, mainly full of Moroi. There were some guardians eating together, but only maybe two or three groups of them.

Thankfully, no one I knew was in the room. Which calmed me a bit. I was still uneasy from the meeting with Lissa and her new BFF. I knew most my time spent here at Court would be avoiding them as much as I could.

I have no idea what I'm going to do when it's time for James and Max to leave. He's going to tell me to be strong, but at this moment, all I want to do is crawl into a corner and cry. I am not the same Rose Hathaway that left all those years ago. I felt _weak._

I wasn't going to reveal that to anyone, not even James.

"Guardian Forbes? Your table is ready." A young Moroi boy called from the reception. Anneliese still had not come with Danielle and Max, but we left for the table anyways.

"We are still waiting for-" I started, but I stopped once Anneliese came into my eyesight. "Oh, never mind, they're here." I said smiling at the Moroi. He smiled, handed us the menus and left us alone.

Danielle slid into the booth beside me on my right, with James on my left. Max slid next to James and Anneliese sat beside Danielle.

"Thank god, I've been starving since you left for that stupid meeting and of course Anneliese wanted to make a bunch of tourist stops on our way here." Danielle said with a groan. She looked beautiful tonight, like a royal. Her black hair was pulled into a low bun and her makeup was kept light. She wore a gorgeous blue sundress with a black cardigan over top.

"Oh quit it. It's my first time here!" Anneliese said annoyed. She was wearing her new guardian uniform and from the looks of it, she finally cut her hair. It was shorter than usual, showing off her new promise mark.

Max looked like, well Max. I took a wild guess that Anneliese and Danielle had to drag him out of the house. He looked well put together, but I could still see the bags under his eyes.

"Tired Max?" I said, letting out a low giggle. He responded by thumping his head down onto the table. We all laughed, James patting him on the head.

I secretly looked towards Anneliese, seeing her slightly giggle under breath. Her face was red as a tomato. I wonder if that was all her doing. I doubt he got any sleep last night.

Before I had gotten to the academy, Anneliese was very reserved. She spent her free hours studying in her dorm or taking extra training sessions. She didn't have any friends since the only thing on her mind was getting her promise mark.

That all changed when James and I introduced her to Max, well officially. Max was just as reserved as she was, but he at least made the effort to make friends. He was hesitant to befriend Anneliese, considering all the gossip he heard about her.

It was typical high school gossip. While she was thinking about her promise mark, others assumed she stayed to herself because she thought she was better than everyone else. Once Max got to know her, things had drastically changed. No one else noticed, besides me.

I never said anything to them, thinking it was just a short fling. As the two years went by, I started getting worried. They were growing way too attached to each other. I knew he secretly snuck out to see her and vice versa.

With Max leaving in a few short months, I knew it was going to break her heart. There isn't anything I could say to her that could help her. I knew nothing about love, just look how I turned out.

And right on que, my former lover steps into the room. When I was younger, I could feel or sense him in a room with a hundred people. The three years apart hadn't changed my senses. The moment he stepped through the door, our eyes met.

Our gazes held for what seemed like forever, but was realistically only a few seconds. I broke the trance, looking down towards the menu. That is all the time I would allow myself. I can't let him know the power he holds over me.

The last thing I expected was Dimitri to approach our table, but it was more of Lissa's doing than his. Lissa stood with as much authority as the Queen. Olivia stood beside her, the green-eyed God and Dimitri stood behind the both of them.

Dimitri stared at the ground, avoiding my eyes. The two guardians stood with so much power, it was no wonder they were the best guardians at Court, well at least I knew one of them was.

"Well look who it is, the famous runaway. Rosemarie Hathaway." Lissa said with a fixed face. Now she wasn't even allowing me the luxury of seeing her emotions.

"Ah! Yes! I've heard so many stories about you! I haven't officially introduced myself! I am Olivia Vanzin!" The girl's small hands reached over to shake my own. I politely reached out my hand. I wasn't sure if this girl was being genuine or if she was flat out fake.

From the corner of my eye, Lissa was rolling her eyes at Olivia's small gesture. "Oh Olivia, I would be careful. I heard weakness is contagious." Olivia let go of my hand and laughed.

"Excuse me?" I said looking at Lissa now. She held a smirk, realizing she hit a nerve.

"Is that not why you left? Because you were weak." Lissa picked up her hands and started playing with her nails, acting _bored._ But this was obviously entertaining her to say the least.

"I'm sorry, who do you think you are saying-" Anneliese started, but Lissa cut her off. Lissa was acting rude and childish by the tone of her voice.

"Shut up girl. You don't know anything." Anneliese sat up straight, preparing to fire back, but I placed my hand on her thigh, prompting her to stop.

"That's right, heel doggie. Rose left because she was weak. She couldn't take the fact the Dimitri wasn't in love with her. So, what does she do? Run, as usual." Lissa says with a scoff. I took this time to look at Dimitri. His head slowly rose at the sound of his name. His face showed guilt, but it was gone before I even had time to register it.

"Okay, you may be a Dragomir, but I am a Szelsky. I have a bigger family and hold more power over you. Where do you get off talking to Rose that way?" Danielle stood up, defending me. I had never seen her so keen on winning a fight.

Lissa was taken aback for a second, it was obvious that she had not expected Danielle to speak up on my behalf. Lissa held more power over all of us guardians, but she could not go against Danielle. Danielle had more connections in higher places than Lissa did.

Sure, Lissa had the queen, but if it were come down to it, the rest of the royal families would fall in line with the Szelsky's. Lissa had no say in anything, she was the only living Dragomir (Remember Jill had not been discovered when Rose left).

"I can talk to that bitch anyway I want." Lissa fired back. That took us all by surprise. It was a rare moment to hear Lissa use the word 'crap' let alone bitch and it had been directed towards me.

I felt betrayed and broken. Here was my best friend, my bond mate, and she acting flat out rude. My reason for living three years ago was her. I was destined to protect her. And now, she was taking trash about me. With no remorse.

"Lissa. That is no way to talk to your best friend." Two tall figures stood behind Dimitri, grabbing all of our attention. It was Christian who had spoken. Adrian stood to his right, glaring at Liss.

Liss turned back toward me with a glare, "She is no friend of mine." She ended the conversation before storming off, Olivia, green eyes, and Dimitri following in tow.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. I started to hyperventilate. My breaths were rough and fast. Voices spoke all around me, but I could concentrate. I was having a panic attack, over my ex best friend.

A hand was placed over my cheek, taking me out of my thoughts. I was still breathing heavily, but I stared into James' brown eyes and my breathing started to slow down.

James always helped in bad situations. He was basically my anchor, he kept me calm and grounded. I returned to the world and the boys stared at me, worried.

"I'm alright." I said, relaxing my muscles. Christian started to relax, but Adrian still looked tense. _I will always worry about you._ A sharp pain pulsed through my heart at the memory.

"I can't believe she would stoop that low." Christian says with a shake of his head. His black hair is lightly messed up and his blue eyes hung low. "I'm sorry Rose. I don't know what's gotten over her." He runs his hands through his hair as he looked back in the direction she just went.

Adrian was still staring at me with worry lines. It hurt me to see how much he still cared. I knew the feeling of caring too much for someone who couldn't care less.

"Adrian, I promise. I'm fine." Adrian finally sighed, grabbed a chair and pulled up in front of our table. Christian followed his lead.

"I need you two to tell me what in the world is going on." My gaze was fixed on their sad eyes. Christian looked extremely sad, for obvious reasons. He lost his one true love. Just from their short interaction, I knew that they had broken up. The question is when.

"As you can tell, Lissa has turned into a… well, a-" Adrian couldn't quite put the words on it, but sure enough, Anneliese jumped in.

"A rude, emotionless bitch?" I shook my head at her compulsive mouth. We still had a lot to work on if she thought she could work on her own.

"I guess, yes. A lot has changed since you've left Little Dhampir." Adrian started, the unfamiliar nickname caused a pinch in my heart. I missed this, I missed them.

"When you left, Lissa was angry. Which was understanding. She dedicated all her time to helping Belikov get his honor back, which she did. She was fine after that, feeling sadder than anything. She wanted you back Rose. Her mood picked up once Olivia came into the picture. I had thought everything was going back to normal." Christian stopped, obviously feeling hurt at the memories. Adrian picked up where he left off.

"A year after you left, my aunt took my cousin under her wing. Showing her the ropes of royalty. It wasn't till then that we started seeing changes in Vasilisa. She started referring to herself as royal and above everyone else."

"She became the very person she hated back in high school." Christian finished for Adrian. "We broke up because she told me I should be grateful that someone like her could take an interest in a person like me." This might have been 2 years ago, but Christian still loved her. The look in his eyes proved it.

"This is all my fault. If I hadn't left, this all could have been avoided." I said looking down towards my lap. I felt responsible for all their pain, and I just wanted to fix it, but I knew I couldn't. Lissa hated me, there was no going back from that.

"No Rose. Lissa made those decisions. Her actions are no one's fault, but her own." A ping came from Adrian's phone, taking the attention away from me.

James took my hand into his own, squeezing it. He felt my pain, all I wanted from him was to lay in bed and to be comforted.

"We have to leave." Adrian said suddenly, taking his eyes off his phone.

"It was great seeing you again Rose, even under the circumstances." They both gave me a small smile before heading off. Christian and Adrian both grew up. They seemed more responsible and respectful. All different from what I remember.

Although, if Adrian had changed, why had I seen him drunk the other night with green eyes. What had caused him to think about taking a drink. So many questions were still left unanswered.

I planned to find their housing and speak to them, alone. They were hiding something, especially after their sudden departure.

In all the chaos, we had yet to eaten. We finally ordered our food, but my plate remained untouched. James wrapped my spaghetti and meatballs into a box for to-go. James always knew how to take care of me. Without him, I probably would have broken down in the restaurant.

The five of us walked back to housing in silence. I knew our students were still trying to process all that has happened. Meanwhile, James stood quiet in respect of my privacy. I was still trying to process this day. I've had 3 uncomfortable run-ins with Lissa in one day, there's only so much I could take.

Of course, God had to continue punishing me. All those years of not going to church just added up to this one day. Sitting on our front porch was the green-eyed guardian. The sun was rising so the weather was warming up, making his dark brown hair frizz up a little.

The light from his phone lit up his face. He was so engrossed with his phone that he didn't take notice of us until we stood in front of him.

"Oh! Sorry! I was a little distracted." He tossed his phone into his pocket and stood up. He was already a tall guardian, but the lifted porch added a few inches.

"I never got to introduce myself. Unfortunately, I don't get a say in matters when I'm on duty," He lets out a short chuckle before continuing, "I am Noah Petrov. Olivia's guardian." He held out his hand, but when none of us shook it, he slowly pulled back.

"Uhm right-" He started, but I immediately interrupted him.

"Anneliese, take Danielle and Max inside please." Anneliese ushered the two Moroi inside, after Noah stepping aside to let them through.

"Look, I'm sorry for what happened tonight. Belikov and I have no control over the Princess. Please understand that she has been put under a lot of stress lately, so she's quite temperamental." We stood with our arms crossed over our chests. I was evaluating him. The first night I had met him, he was nice and respectful. Other times I had seen him, he was obedient, since he was on duty.

I was trying to figure this guy out. Inside, I wanted to like him, but there was something I couldn't put my finger on. Maybe it was the fact that he stood by and watched Lissa terrorize me.

"Right, well. I came on behalf of Olivia. She wanted to come herself, but the Princess has her on lockdown. She wants to schedule a meeting with just herself and Rose. If you'd like. Olivia is very concerned about the Princess and thinks you can help." The more this man speaks, the more my conscience wanted to like him. He honestly seemed genuine. He wanted to help Lissa and figure out what was wrong with her.

As for Olivia, I can't say. She was polite when she introduced herself to me, but she had said nothing afterwards. She could be frightened of Lissa, but I couldn't be sure. Did I want to meet with this girl?

I was curious to what she had to say. Maybe a meeting wouldn't be too bad. I mean, Christian and Adrian had said that Lissa changed a year after she met Olivia. Olivia couldn't be the cause of Lissa's outrage.

Then again, I underestimated Avery too and look how that turned out. I guess I won't find out unless I try. At least this time around, I was physically with Lissa. If Olivia was anything like Avery, I would be right there to fight for Lissa.

"Alright, I will meet with Olivia. Privately, no one else." Noah nodded and stepped down the porch. He was taller than James, he had a good 3 inches on him. His light scruff beard from the other night had grown out a bit, making him even more sexier, if possible.

As if he knew I was checking him out, he gave me a small smirk, "I will send for you when Olivia is free of the Princess. Thank you so much for this." I nodded at him and watched as he walked away from us.

"Do you really think they care about the Princess' attitude, or is it all fake?" James questioned.

I was still watching Noah get smaller as he walked further from us, "I have no idea."


	6. Chapter 5

**Good Evening my lovelies! Obviously, I'M BACK! It has been a long time since I've posted, I know. So to make up for it, I have some announcements. For the alerts squad: The story line of this book has completely taken a turn. I have rewritten all of the previous chapters from the Prologue to Chapter 4! So you have to reread previous chapters to understand chapter 5!**

 **If you are new to this book and have already read the updated chapters, well welcome!**

 **I am doing 10 days of Christmas, which means there will be a new chapter posted everyday. So by Christmas day, there should be 15 chapters! After that, there will be two chapters posted each week. Each chapter will be posted on every Tuesday and Thursday after December 25th.**

 **Thank you for sticking with me my faithful readers! Here is the chapter you have all been waiting for!**

 **Make sure to Review, Favorite and Follow How to Save a Life!**

 **XOXO**

 **Lyss**

* * *

Chapter 5

I had forgotten how wonderful the sunset was in Pennsylvania. It was about 5pm, perfect timing for Anneliese and I's morning training. I was reluctant to get up this morning (night) with what happened yesterday.

Had I been born human; I could've just stayed in bed and called it a sick day. As a Dhampir, there are no such things as a sick day. My life is devoted to Danielle, there is no time for me to consider my emotions or health. As long as I was healthy to kick ass, then I was fine.

James stayed back at the house to watch over the Moroi. They were safe, as long as they were asleep. Danielle typically didn't wake up until 8pm, which was fine with me. Max woke up the moment the sun was below the horizon, which was probably around 7pm, sometimes a little earlier.

They won't even know we were gone. Our training sessions typically lasted an hour, but it hadn't always been like that. At first I would kick Anneliese's ass. We would spend three to four hours in the gym. I was trying to work her up to my standards. It took two years, but she was finally leveled with me. We still did our hardcore training though.

At first, her run would be 2 miles at a jog. Then we would spend hours doing spar. Now, she had 3 miles, at a sprint. Which didn't take long at all. We didn't take breaks or slow down. It typically took us 15 minutes. Dhampir's would have made extraordinary Olympic athletes.

The rest of the 45 minutes we used to spar and practice techniques. There isn't much else I could teach Anneliese. I had already trained her well enough to get her through life.

We finished our three miles and started our cool down jog. It was usually quiet during this time, but I knew it was the perfect time to discuss with Anneliese about the next couple of months.

"So as you know, James and I were chosen to be a part of a special task force." Anne let out a breath to show she was listening. There was a slight sweat line over her brows and at the tip of her hairline. The once well put together pony tail now had messed up and had some hairs falling around her face. I probably looked the same.

"Well they had wanted you to work with us, but I denied them. You will only be needed if a big battle were to come. I won't be by your side the whole time so you better prepare-" Suddenly she stopped running. I stopped a couple of feet in front of her, confused.

"Why don't you want me on the task force?" Anneliese said, grimacing. I knew that this was coming. She would be angry with me for days for denying her the option to join the team. I had made it clear to her many times that I wanted her to live during her youth. Not to jump into the fight so soon, like I had.

"Anneliese, it's not that I don't want you on it, it's that I feel like you could use more experience before taking on a job like this. Plus, you still haven't lived your life fully. If I put you on this team, who knows if you would've lost your life in the process." I started walking towards her, but when I would take one step towards her, she would take two steps back.

"You don't get to decide that sort of thing for me!" She screamed. Her veins on her neck and forehead started to bulge out.

"I am still your mentor! As far as your safety, I control what you do or don't do! If I say you're not ready, then you're not ready! I don't want you going through what I did." She let out a huff of breath. She began to laugh hysterically.

"What could have been so bad in your past? You killed your first Strigoi at age 17! Now, almost every guardian here has the upmost respect for you! What could be so bad about getting into the work early!" She continued to laugh with a scoff.

"What could be bad? You don't understand! The day I made my first kill, one of my best friends died!" Anneliese suddenly stopped laughing. She was distraught. Mason was a subject I didn't like talking about, so he never came up in a conversation.

"He died because he wanted to jump into the work so fast. Him and two others, one which a Moroi I might add, decided it would be a good idea to take out a threat. It was my fault for even giving them the idea! So of course, I had to go after them! Christian and I found them, safe, but not before we caused Strigoi to be aware of us. We were taken and held hostage!" Reliving this experience had my eyes beginning to water. It hurt, but I knew I had to make a point.

"Christian and I managed to get free and get the others out. We weren't fast enough to get everyone out. A Strigoi had snapped my friend's neck without a second thought! They don't care! They're immortal and evil! You think you're ready physically? Sure, I think you are, but mentally? Not even close. I still haven't gotten over watching my best friend's life being taken from him in less than three seconds. He was there and then he was gone." Tears were falling down my cheek now. Anneliese was at lost with words.

She reached out to comfort me, but thought better of it and pulled back.

"You know I respect you so much, but I don't want you going through the emotional trauma I had to." She nodded her head, defeated.

"Rose." I tensed up at the voice from behind me. I was so caught up with Anneliese, that I didn't feel him coming. I wiped my tears and faced him.

"Dimitri. What can I do for you?" He looked sad and guilty. He probably heard my confession to Anne. He had played a huge part in that story. He was one of the only people who could comfort me during a time like that. He knew what I was going through, especially losing a close friend.

"I'm here to escort you to Miss Olivia." His face remained the same, which was the longest I had seen him without his guardian mask on.

"Yes of course," I turned toward Anne, "Finish your training for the morning. I'll meet back with you at the house. Make sure to tell James where I had gone." If I go missing, at least they would know who was behind it. Although, even though Dimitri no longer loved me, I doubt he would be taking me to my death.

Dimitri and I walked side by side, to the apartment complex, which is where I assumed Olivia was staying.

"Rose, I-" Dimitri started, but I placed my hand on his upper arm to stop him from speaking.

"If it's pity you're feeling, don't bother." His mask was placed back up after nodding and staying quiet.

It was like that the entire walk there. We were both distracted by each of our auras. I felt my soul reaching out, trying to connect with his own. The physical contact wasn't there, creating a tear in the connection. The heat was radiating off my body. I hadn't been this close to him since that day in the church.

I wanted to touch him so badly, but I can't. He isn't mine to touch. I can't help but wonder if he was someone else's lover. The thought of it created a tear in my heart. To even think that he was kissing someone else while I was still hurting.

"You're thinking too much Roza." I closed my eyes and let out a breath. That name brought so many memories, _I love you._ Dimitri always knew what I was thinking, my facial features told him everything.

My heart started to speed up when he caught my hand and pulled us to a stop. His rough, calloused hands held my own, fitting perfectly together.

"Even through everything, I still care about you." Those words should've made me feel better, but they only reminded me of what wasn't mine. I, regrettably, let go of his hand and started walking again.

I didn't know what he was feeling, but God would I love to know.

* * *

Dimitri and I walked through the front door of Olivia's apartment. Noah was sitting at the couch, with Olivia making coffee in the small kitchen to the right of the main door.

It was a small apartment, barely bigger than the apartment I had before I left.

"Go ahead and sit on the couch! Would you like some coffee?" Olivia called from the kitchen.

"No we're fine" Dimitri called out at the same time I said, "Yes please." Dimitri stared at me in shock. I'm sure he remembers that I refused to drink coffee back at St. Vladimir's.

"A lot has changed comrade. Late night watch had me drinking a lot of coffee." I said with a laugh. I took a seat on the couch opposite of Noah, Dimitri took the seat beside me. The couch was extremely small to begin with, leaving little to no free space.

The heat from earlier started up again, making us both feel very uncomfortable. Dimitri and I both scooted to the very edge of the couch.

Olivia laughed as she placed the coffee in front of me. "We can all feel the sexual tension in here." I stared at her with wide eyes, "Oh come on, we all know what you're going through. Why don't you just kiss and make up." Dimitri growled at her as she started laughing.

"Oh cool your jets, I think we can all agree Rose coming back is the best thing to happen." I suddenly took an interest in Olivia, she was genuine and true.

"She's right, maybe she can help you and Lissa get out of this funk you have." Noah says with a smirk.

"I am not in a funk." Dimitri says with a low voice, almost embarrassed.

"No need to lie. You know Rose, he hasn't looked at girl since you've left. Adrian's words not mine." Dimitri shook his head towards her, "What? It's true. If Adrian can forgive you and Rose, I think you can forgive yourself for what happened in Russia." I looked towards Dimitri, baffled. Did he tell these people what happened between us?

"Don't worry Rose. Only Noah and I know what happened in Russia. He hasn't told anyone but us." I released the breath I had been holding in. If anyone else knew that had happened, who knows if they had given him a charge.

"Wells get back to the point." Dimitri says trying to take the subject off of us.

"Yes! Well obviously, Rose you see how much Lissa has changed. It's taken all of us by surprise. It's horrible! Now that you're here, her anger was directed at you. At first it was Christian. Which is why they broke up, but I'm sure you knew that." I nodded at Olivia, giving her my full attention. All I wanted to do was help Lissa and get her back to her normal self.

"I think what we're going to try to take her away from the Queen. Get her interested in something more time consuming." Noah said looking towards me.

"And what could be more important than the queen herself?" I question. This plan has so many holes in it, that it almost seems impossible.

"Well that's when you come in. We were hoping you could come up with something." I groan at the thought.

"I already have this task force to worry about, now I have to worry about how I'm supposed to get my best friend back?" I thought back to the argument from last night.

"How about the quorum?" I said. I remember thinking last night how Danielle held more power over Lissa. That could possibly take her attention away from the queen.

"I'm sorry the what?" Olivia stated.

"It's an old Moroi law stating that in order to have a say in the council, there must be two royal members of the family." Dimitri said with so much bitter, "it's what stopped Lissa from getting a say during the debate of rising the age law." I finished for him. Thankfully, after I left, Tatiana had dropped the law.

"That might work. Take her mind off the royals and focus on her family's position." Olivia stated, "but there's no way for her to even consider the idea. Unless there's a secret family member we don't know about." Olivia finished with a laugh. I hesitantly looked at the people around me.

I had thought this idea over when Lissa and I had gone out searching for Dimitri. I believed that there was another Dragomir out there in the world.

"Three years ago, I had taken Lissa with me to find Dimitri." Dimitri slouched back into the couch at the memory. It wasn't a good one, but I had to explain what I discovered.

"It came to my attention that Lissa's dad had been giving a large amount of money to an unknown recipient. Although, with all that happened, I wasn't able to follow through with the idea. I didn't even have time to let Lissa in on my thoughts." I stopped, deep in thought. If I gave Lissa enough evidence to support my claim, would she take her mind off the queen and go after this unknown sibling?

"I have my connections from Russia. I'll get some proof and present them to Lissa. Hopefully she'll take the bait and let me help her find this unknown sibling." Noah and Olivia sat up straight, smiling at each other.

I plan to meet or speak to my dear old friend Sydney. I had met her back in Russia when I went searching for Dimitri the first time around. I hadn't seen her since I left St. Clare's. She was one of the alchemists who was stationed in Novosibirsk. My father had sent her back into the states after helping me out, but once she heard I was back in Russia, she stationed out to Moscow. She hated vampires, but she played a huge part in finding the missing Moroi back at St. Clare's. Hopefully she would be willing to help me out. I promised to her before I left I would stay in touch. Maybe she would even consider moving out here to Pennsylvania to help me out.

I could use all the alchemist knowledge that they have. Apparently they have all kinds of records on every single Moroi and Dhampir out in the world.

"It's set then! Oh, crap, look at the time." Olivia stated, standing up. "I'm supposed to meet with Lissa for brunch. We can meet again once you find proof?" I nodded, standing up with Dimitri. We stood at the exact same time, in sync.

"Alright, well it was great meeting you! I remember all the stories Lissa would tell me about you when I first met her," Olivia was smiling at me, "I'm glad I was finally able to put the face with the wonderful stories." She held out her hand for me to shake.

Her wrist was wrapped in a bandage, blood almost seeping through. It looked like a huge cut, from the amount of blood flowing through.

"Ouch, how did you get that?" I ask her, taking her hand in mine. She laughs nervously and took her hand out of mine.

"Oh I was cutting a vegetable when the knife slipped. I'm so clumsy." She gripped her wrist and smiled, "It's nothing. It will heal in a few days." I nodded, taking note of this so-called incident.

It made me a little suspicious. Dimitri and Noah didn't think much of it, but I couldn't help but be concerned about how this girl really got that cut on her wrist.


	7. Chapter 6

**Oh gosh! Good evening everyone! I am so sorry for posting this late! I've been busy all day long. I didn't plan on being out all day, but that's what happened. I woke at 6am to attempt to write this chapter, but by the time I had to start getting ready, I only had 4 pages done. I came home at around 5:30pm, but I had to leave at 6pm so I tried to write as much as I could during that 30 minutes. Although I decided I would wait until I got home later so the chapter wouldn't be half-assed. So I hope you enjoy!**

 **How many of you watched Rogue One? Best movie of the year by far!**

 **Remember to Follow, Favorite and Review!**

 **XOXO**

 **Lyss**

* * *

Chapter 6

My meeting with Olivia had been interesting, to say the least. That wound on her wrist opened my mind. I was so keen on the idea of helping Liss that I was too blind to see what was in front of me.

That was no accidental cut. If the knife had slipped, it wouldn't have been a clean slice. There was something going on with that girl and I plan on figuring it out.

Sydney was going to have to help me with some major research. Not only with Liss, but with this Olivia girl. I wanted to find out who she was and why she was at Court. I knew nothing about this girl, but she happens to know everything about me. Which is making me feel uneasy. She could use my past against me, but I wasn't going to let her because I was going to get to her first.

I concluded that if I was going to get this done, I had to tell James. Right now, he is the only one I could trust. Everyone was smitten with this girl. If I had come out with my suspicion, my old friends would just claim that I don't know her at all. Which is true, but I do know a bad cut when I see one.

James had the key in the keyhole by the time I reached the house. His shirt hung from his hand and might I say, THANK GOD. I do love to appreciate a good-looking man. His back was glistening with sweat; he had just returned home from training.

"Hey hot stuff." I said jumping on his back. He laughs and carries me inside.

"Now that's a good welcome home." With a fast-swift move, he pulled me from his back. I was facing him, with my legs wrapped around his waist. Had this been anyone else, I would've felt uncomfortable or awkward. With James, it's nothing but fun and games. If I was in another life, James and I could've been lovers. Unfortunately, I was plagued with a love that was one-sided.

Dimitri took over my thoughts, making me frown. I jumped down from James and took a seat in the dining room. From what I could hear, Anneliese was in the shower (singing loudly I might add), Danielle was still asleep, and Max stood outside of the bathroom (listening to Anneliese I assume).

James sensed my change and moved to sit in the chair beside me. He moved the chair in a backwards position front of me with his arms resting on the back of the chair. He was definitely a sight to behold, but he was no Dimitri.

Dimitri has a special quality about him that draws people in. He was older, deadly, and a man. Sure, James has those qualities, but he didn't have the wisdom Dimitri had. Which gave him a boyish look. Five years ago, I would've loved this boyish charm. After being with Dimitri, I knew that there was no going back.

"What's wrong?" James asked, with a concerned frown. I loved James, but it was the friendship kind of love. It's obvious that James would give me every diamond in the world, if he could. I just can't return that kind of love. If it's not Dimitri, then I can't love. I can't give my devotion 10% to someone if the rest of the 90% belongs to someone else. Even if that someone doesn't want my devotion.

I used the situation with Lissa to take the attention off me, "We came up with a plan to help Liss. It's a huge stretch, but I think it can work." It _has_ to work.

"It's an old suspicion of mine that she isn't the last Dragomir, but we're going to need proof to even consider confronting Lissa with the idea." I said. I let out a groan and swept my hair back with my hand.

"You're going to need Syd's help for this one. Documents or something that backs up your theory," he stopped, thinking of the right words to say, "You know that if this doesn't work out, she might end up hating you more." I considered that outcome, but I hope that I wasn't wrong.

There must be another Dragomir out there, why else would Eric Dragomir be spending time in Vegas and sending money to an unknown source. I just needed the right documents to show Lissa.

"There's something else." I started. I didn't know how to phrase this correctly without sounding like a jealous ex-best friend.

"I think Olivia is doing extracurricular activities. There was a cut on her wrist, but she claimed it was an accident. From what I could tell, it was no accident. It was a clean cut, too perfect to have been from a fallen knife." James took some time, absorbing the information. I assumed he was also trying to think of some type of connection.

"I'll look into it. I'm sure there are some guardians in Court who are more than willing to share their thoughts about Olivia." I nodded, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. With James by my side, it made this a lot more bearable. He calmed me down, otherwise I would've marched right up to that girl and demanded her story. It wouldn't have been the best way to earn Lissa's forgiveness.

"ROSE!" A loud, screeching voice came from the upstairs bedrooms. Danielle came running down the stairs in hysterics. She was in her pajamas; a black tank top with plaid bottoms. Her hair was slightly aroused, hair sticking out all over the place. Before I could even let a word out, she started rambling on.

"Ariana just called me! There's a royal dinner tonight, that I must go to! Oh, God. What do I do? I don't want to go! I have nothing to wear! Help!" Danielle spoke so fast that it was hardly audible. Fortunately for her, I was used to her crazy antics.

"Danielle calm down. Go get dressed. I'll take you down to the shops so you can find a dress." I told her. She grinned towards me before running upstairs to change clothes (and hopefully tame her hair)

"What would that girl do without you." James asked, laughing his head off. We certainly have an interesting family in this house.

* * *

Sometimes I dream I could dress up one more time. Wear a long gorgeous gown, curl my hair, put on makeup, and wear heels. Just for one night, but it's not my life. My life was no longer my own, it was dedicated to Danielle. I know she tries to let me go out sometimes, but in the end, I just worry about her and back out of the idea of 'going out'.

As I watch Danielle try on a dress for the tenth time, I can't help but envy her life. Danielle steps out of the dressing room in a beautiful blue gown. It had sequins on the bust and flared out at the bottom.

"It's beautiful, but I don't think it's you." I said unsure. It looks good on her, but I wanted her to try on the emerald dress I had picked out. She told me that I had terrible taste in dresses, but put it in the maybe pile anyways.

She stepped out in the emerald gown and wow, did she look beautiful. The dress was similar to the last one, the bottom flared out and the top was covered in sequins. There was a high slit on the lower part, all the way up to mid-thigh and it was a crisscross halter. The tag had marked it as _Sherri Hill_. Making it extremely expensive, but I knew the Szelsky's could afford it.

The color brought out her eyes perfectly and made her black hair look even darker. The green brightened up her skin and I already knew she was in love with it.

I knew she would like it. I was always one to pick out statement colors. Red was my personal favorite. How I would kill to be going with her to this dinner, well technically I was, but I'm on duty. I stay on the wall, like a fly.

"Well, do you say yes to the dress?" I say mimicking one of those human T.V. shows. It was actually a decent show, if you take out all the annoying humans who want the "perfect" dress.

"I think so!" I could tell that this dress made her happy. If she can't enjoy herself at this dinner, might as well look the best in the room.

Days like this is what I live for. To watch Danielle live a healthy, happy life. That's the best payment she could give me; to live.

The whole way back, Danielle talked about what she was going to do for her hair and makeup. She wanted to pull her hair into a half up do, with the remaining hair falling in curls. For her makeup, she decided to do a glitter base, with the outer corners smoked out. It was the best eye makeup for green eyes (or so her phone says).

It took us two hours to get her ready and the end results were wonderful. She truly looked like a royal. I wore my hair in a low bun and my ugly uniform. The Szelsky crest hung around my neck.

We arrived at the banquet hall at approximately 3:10am. Danielle walked with so much confidence, it made her even more beautiful. She held her head high and walked with so much fierce. I walked behind her, hands behind my back.

The second we stepped into the hall, all eyes were on her. All our hard work paid off. She was the center of attention.

Although, Ariana would have to disagree. Danielle's aunt moved from her side of the room to address her niece.

"You're late." Ariana growled. She grabbed Danielle's arm and pulled her over to the rest of the Szelsky's. Danielle looked back and me in horror before turning her attention to her family.

I left to my normal position on the wall, that had a clear view of Danielle. I took note of all the exit routes in the room, if something were to happen. There was the side door to Danielle's left, which was probably the safer option. Then there was a staff door all the way in the back. Another exit to my right and then there's the front doors.

As on que, Lissa stepped through one of the escape routes. She was wearing a strapless light pink gown that trailed behind her. Her hair was pinned back with a golden dragon; symbolling her family. She was absolutely stunning. Her beauty radiated off the walls. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone was thinking the same thing.

Dimitri followed behind her, looking handsome as ever. His face was fixed, as normal. With the amount of Dhampir's in the room, you would think we would feel safe and comfortable. NOT. If something were to happen, best believe I would push through a Zeklos to get to Danielle.

Lissa went straight to the Queen who stood at the front of the hall. Dimitri stared along the wall, looking for the best spot, but instead found me.

He gave a slight smirk before making his way to the empty spot beside me. I swear God is trying to punish me. Doesn't Dimitri understand that coming to me is going against everything he told me three years ago?

"Good evening Roza." He stood straight and kept his eyes locked on Lissa.

"Dimitri."

"I spoke to the Queen after our little…" He hesitated before continuing, "get to together. And well, she expects your team to start working tomorrow." I continue my gaze on Danielle, nodding to show him I understood.

"Well this is nice." He said after a moment of silence. I internally laughed at the tension between the two of us.

"It is. Lissa looks beautiful tonight, doesn't she?" I said smiling at Lissa. She was too occupied to look at me, but I'm sure she felt my gaze on her.

"She does, but she isn't the bell of the ball."

"Oh then who is?" I said laughing.

"You." I lost focus for a second. Did he? What? I stood quiet not knowing what to say. He's going way overboard now.

"If this is a joke to make fun of what I went through three years ago then you can shove it up your-".

"Rose, you know I don't make jokes." He turned and walked back towards Lissa. I don't know exactly what to do with what he just said. Does this mean he wants to work on us?

Does he love me?

Could that long haired, brown eyed God have feelings for me? Is there a possibility that we could be together again. Even as he was mingling with some royals, I couldn't stop staring at him. The way he carried himself was amazing. So much power in one body is intimidating. So many thoughts were running through my head that I didn't even notice Lissa walking towards me. She stood right in front of me, cocking her head to the side.

"I didn't know Rose Hathaway could think." She said smirking. She let out a soft laugh at her own joke, which I didn't find funny at all.

"Well Lissa that is a beautiful hair piece you have there." I eyed the golden dragon on her head. She flaunts her pin and smiles.

"Thank you. I'm sure you couldn't afford something so beautiful." Even as I'm complimenting her, she still has to say something snarky back.

"Well I think there's one other person who could afford it. If only they knew where it came from. Or rather who it was made for." I spoke in code, but I knew Lissa understood.

"What a funny thing to say. Who else would be interested in a Dragomir pin?" She said laughing. Oh honey you're in for a great adventure.

"Another Dragomir of course." I say it with a 'duh' voice as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. She breaks her gaze on my face and looks around to see if anyone is listening in.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I laughed, but not loud enough for people to notice us. The plan would all go downhill if some nosey royal listened in. Even if it was true, I'm sure they would try to keep this sibling out of the public. There's no way that any of these sobs would let the Dragomir's rise back to the top. I was taking a big risk, but it was a risk worth trying.

"Oh honey. You have a half sibling somewhere out in the world."

"You're lying." She was now full on glaring, her face turning red. At this point, there's no going back. I have to follow through with this plan or else she's going to hate me just as bad. I saw the gleam of hope in her eyes though. That one little speck could be the loophole to getting my best friend back. I plan to follow this through all the way.

"Am I?"


End file.
